Kindred Spirit
by qwerty-kitties
Summary: COMPLETE - Tired of keeping things bottled up, Helga decides to lower her shield and confide in someone.  But who will she let in?  MY FIRST FIC EVER.  And yes, I know Sammy's a Mary Sue, I admit it.  Enjoy it anyway.
1. Chapter 1

_Greetings! For those who don't know, my SN way back when was Carrot Top, and I wrote some Hey, Arnold! fanfics. I had an OC named Samantha Walker who was the school librarian and was created as a mentor/Big Sis kind of character to Helga. She was my way to 'mother' Helga because I loved that little girl so. Yes, she's a Mary Sue in the strictest sense. I was young. I didn't know any better._

_A fellow HA fan from the early days requested I post them so she could read them again. So I dusted them off and decided to toss 'em up._

_So here you go! Circa 1998 or so, my very first foray into fic writing. Enjoy!_

_The HA kids don't belong to me, but Sammy does.  
_

* * *

**Chapter 1: **

**HELGA DECIDES**

Night. When darkness steals the light away. When the events of the day return to replay themselves in our minds before sleep envelopes us. When we are at our most vulnerable, and anything seems possible. A time to renew our energy for the coming day.

In the city of Hillwood, a bustling metropolis that featured a flavor for every taste and a store for every interest, life went on busily after the sun went to bed. The kids in Mr. Simmons' 4th grade class passed the time doing what kids will.

Stinky and Sid were sitting at the kitchen table of Stinky's humble, but warm, home. They were helping each other with the homework due the next day.

Harold was watching tv and devouring a bowl of popcorn.

Phoebe was in the exercise room, fencing with her father.

Rhonda and Nadine were on the phone, talking. (Actually, Rhonda was doing most of the talking, rambling on about what the fashion scene was up to lately, with Nadine listening as only a best friend could.)

Eugene was tending to the various scrapes and bruises he had received during the day.

Gerald was trying desperately to stay away from his brother. Jamie O had learned a new wrestling move and had 'volunteered' his little brother to be his 'practicing dummy'. Much to Gerald's dismay.

Arnold was in his room reading a Purdy Boy Mystery while listening to music.

And Helga?

Well, Helga was in the only place she felt she could truly be herself. The only place she felt comfortable enough to lower the shield she had built around her heart. She was sitting in her closet, facing the shrine dedicated to her one true love and writing in her little pink book.

"Oh, Arnold, my love!" she swooned. "Yet another day has gone by and still you are unaware of my feelings for you! Will I always be such a coward when it comes to expressing myself to you? Will I never have the courage to confess the love that has burned inside of me for as long as I have known you? Will I ever show you the true girl, the REAL Helga Geraldine Pataki, as opposed to the loud, mean, aggressive bully that has belittled, taunted and insulted you for almost all of your young life?"

She paused, worry marking her young features.

"Will you even care anymore if and when I finally have the courage to tell you?" she whispered fearfully.

This was serious. Helga had loved Arnold for 6 years, and she was no closer to telling him the truth now than she was then. Her every attempt to be nice to the boy, to show him that she was more that just a bully, had ended in failure. All because she had to keep up her reputation. Her image.

Helga frowned. Why did she have to act so tough? Why couldn't she just be a normal girl, and show what she feels like everyone else? Why must she always tuck her emotions away whenever anyone tries to get close? WHY?

Downstairs, her father, Big Bob, shouted at the tv. He was watching a football game, and getting worked up. Again. With Big Bob, it didn't really matter what was on (football, hockey, basketball, baseball or pro wrestling) his responses were pretty much the same. Loud and hostile.

_Because, I'm a Pataki_, she answered herself with a grimace. _And Patakis don't show signs of weakness_. And to Big Bob, any emotion besides anger was a sign of weakness. Helga had learned this at an early age.

_But, OLGA was allowed to cry_, she thought angrily. _OLGA cried at the drop of a hat! Of course, OLGA was PERFECT. OLGA could do no wrong._ And, as her father was always reminding her, she was nothing like her big sister Olga.

But was that such a bad thing? Helga was just as smart as Olga—proven when her class had taken the aptitude test—but more importantly, Helga had more street sense. She didn't just blindly trust people like Olga did. In Olga's own words, Helga was 'an excellent judge of character'.

In a lot of ways, Helga was more mature than her sister. If Olga didn't get her way, she cried. She pouted. She would lock herself in her room and listen to depressing music, all the while moaning and whining about how unfair her life was. That was how she got her way. When Helga wanted _her_ way, she usually thought of a way to get it. Helga was very clever when it came to getting what she wanted—she had to be, after all, with Olga forever overshadowing her.

Olga was primped and fussed over, Helga wasn't. Olga had everything handed to her, Helga had to work for it. And, although Helga didn't know it, and to her it certainly didn't feel like it, she got the better end of the deal. Growing up like that had made her a much stronger and more independent person than her sister. This means, simply put, that no matter what hardships may lay ahead of her, Helga Pataki will have no problems taking care of herself.

But this thought never occurred to Helga because no one, not even she, had ever dared to think that Olga might not be as perfect as she's made out to be.

Helga heard a soft 'snap'. She looked down and discovered she had broken her pencil in half. Just the thought of her sister stirred up such anger inside! _Why can't I just let it go? _she thought.

"OLGA! Did you take out the trash, yet?" Big Bob called up the stairs. Helga scowled. _ That's why._

"It's HELGA, Dad. HELGA!"

"Whatever, just take out the garbage!" he replied in an annoyed tone. Helga angrily slammed her poetry book shut with a growl and stood.

_Criminey! It's bad enough he barely talks to me, but does he have to keep calling me by HER name? _she thought as she headed downstairs to do her chore. Her mother, Miriam, was sitting at the kitchen table, half-heartedly looking through the newspaper. Helga wasn't surprised to see the remains of a smoothie in her oversized coffee mug.

"Helga, did you finish your homework, honey?" she asked in her usual tired voice as her daughter lifted the trash bag.

"Yes, Miriam," Helga sighed.

"That's a good girl."

As she hauled the garbage out, Helga thought about her parents. She didn't really have a close relationship with either of them. All her dad seemed to think about was his beeper store or whatever game happened to be on tv, and her mom was always moping around the house, usually with a smoothie cup in hand. Miriam sometimes hit the 'smoothies' pretty hard, and Helga supposed that if she were married to a man like Big Bob, she would probably turn to something that would, if only temporarily, numb the crushing pain of disappointment, too. Especially if her smoothies had a healthy dollop of vodka in them like her mother's.

Yep, her parents weren't exactly shining examples of unbridled parental love and energy. Unless OLGA came home that is. When SHE came home, they were always so happy, they were practically bouncing off the walls! Suddenly they turned into this loving 'family unit', all because their precious first born was home. Everything was ALWAYS Olga, Olga, OLGA!

Helga looked down and saw that in her anger, she had clenched the garbage bag so tight it was starting to tear. With a surprising amount of concentrated effort, she relaxed her fingers and dropped the bag into the trashcan. She wasn't sure what made her angrier; the fact that Olga was considered 'perfect', or the fact that she had a closer relationship to their parents than Helga did.

Helga grabbed some cookies on her way back through the kitchen before returning to her room. It was getting late and tomorrow _was_ a school day, after all. She ate her snack as she hid her Shrine and planted a good night kiss on 'Arnold's' cheek before closing the closet door. Then she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, thinking all the while.

_Maybe the reason I'm no closer to confessing the truth to Arnold is because I don't have anyone to confide in. Between my obsession with him, and my less-than-stellar family life, I've got all these emotions rolling around inside me, and they just keep knocking into each other. It's all festering in there and, aside from my poetry, I have no outlet. It's like a big block on my chest. No matter what I do, I always end up back at square one. If I could talk to SOMEONE about my feelings, maybe I can see them from a new angle. Maybe I could even get past all this anger._

She smiled as she headed back to her room, and changed into her nightshirt. _It would be nice to talk to someone, _she thought as she took out her bow and brushed her long blonde hair._ Someone who'll listen to me. Someone who understands._

Helga turned out the light and lay down in bed. Slumber was already coming for her as she curled up into her favorite sleeping position, but she was still thinking about tomorrow.

_Tomorrow, _she decided. _I'll start looking for someone tomorrow._

When sleep came to take her, Helga G. Pataki went willingly enough. She was still smiling.

~End of Chapter 1~


	2. Chapter 2

_A kindergarten flashback and the very first appearance of Sammy. These chapters are downright short compared to some of my later works._

_The HA gang belongs to Craig. Sammy belongs to me._

* * *

**Chapter 2: **

**HELGA'S SEARCH**

The next morning, Helga awoke with renewed excitement and hope. _Today's the day,_ she thought as she hurriedly dressed. _Today I will finally drop my shell and let someone in._

Helga bounded down the stairs just in time to grab a quick breakfast and leave to catch the bus. She had her mornings perfectly timed so she didn't have to talk to either of her parents before leaving for school. Not that they would have anything to talk about anyway.

As she headed to catch the bus, Helga's mood quickly sobered. She had made a very big, life-impacting decision, and the importance of it was just now sinking in. Declaring that it was time to drop the shield was one thing, but finding just the right person to bare your soul to was quite another.

_Who's it gonna be? _she wondered._ Who can I trust enough to tell everything to? My parents are pretty much most of the problem, so they're out of the running—not that they were ever really considered. Phoebe? A good possibility. Mr. Simmons? Doubtful. He appreciates my poetry, but would I be comfortable talking to him about THIS?_

The loud whine of air brakes startled Helga from her thoughts as the bus pulled to a stop before her. The young blonde climbed aboard slowly, her mind still working the problem before her. She made her way back to where Phoebe was saving her seat.

"Hey Phoebs."

"Good morning, Helga," she small girl replied with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah."

Phoebe noticed the way her friend flopped onto the seat next to her and gazed silently out the window. The small brunette was no dummy—Helga was obviously distracted this morning, and the best way to deal with a distracted Helga was to just leave her to her thoughts. She would eventually work through whatever bothered her and return to normal. Or what passed for 'normal' for Helga, anyway.

During the ride to school, Phoebe thought about her friend. Helga was an extremely difficult person to understand. Phoebe knew her better than anyone, but even she was confounded by the way Helga acted sometimes. To the casual observer, Helga G. Pataki was merely an angry, bossy, pushy little girl who didn't seem to care about anyone or anything. She was in charge at all times, and crushed anyone who got in her way. To the casual observer, that was all there was to the little blonde-haired girl with the one eyebrow.

But Phoebe wasn't a casual observer. She had known Helga for about 6 years, and in that time, she had made many observations when it came to her friend. Helga wasn't some mindless bully who pushed people around because she wanted to, she behaved the way she did because she was afraid. Most people would laugh at that—Helga Pataki, afraid? The girl who pounded Harold, a boy nearly twice her size, on a regular basis, afraid?—but it was true. Helga was afraid of being rejected. Her home life was the primary catalyst that caused the blonde to behave the way she did, and the low self-esteem that resulted from the years of constant comparisons to her older sister further aggravated the problem. She won't let anyone get close because she thought they'd eventually reject her. Deep down, she didn't think she was a good enough person to deserve friends.

Phoebe recognized this, after years of silent observation, and couldn't help but feel sorry for her friend. Helga yearned to be accepted, to be loved and cared for, but, at the same time, was truly terrified of it actually happening. She had no idea how to act if someone showed her true affection. The only person she allowed even partially close was Phoebe, and even she was held at arm's length. Helga cared about Phoebe, but still hid her true self away for the most part.

This was the only thing that really frustrated, even infuriated, Phoebe-Helga never _really_ talked to her. Phoebe knew all about Helga's less-than-perfect home life, and understood Helga a lot more than anyone else did-or cared to, it seemed. She accepted her friend for who she was. So why did Helga refuse to open up to her? Why didn't she ever tell Phoebe what was on her mind? Or at least admit that she liked Arnold? (Phoebe sees and hears a lot more than Helga realizes, although sometimes it's hard to pretend she doesn't.) Phoebe just couldn't understand Helga sometimes.

Helga was still quiet when the bus pulled up to P.S. 118, and Phoebe had to lightly nudge her to let her know it was time to get off.

They walked into the building in silence, and headed toward their lockers. Phoebe finished at hers first and walked over to wait for Helga. The blonde was still moving slowly, and Phoebe was beginning to worry that she might not be feeling well.

"Helga, are you all right?" she asked timidly. "You don't seem yourself today."

For a moment Helga simply stood at her locker, staring blankly. Then she turned to her friend so fast that Phoebe jumped and dropped her books.

"Sorry, Phoebs," Helga said as she knelt to help Phoebe pick up her things. "I was just thinking."

"About what, Helga?"

Helga looked at Phoebe for a few seconds, then took a deep breath.

"Phoebe, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Helga."

"If I told you something, something that was a secret, would you promise me you wouldn't tell anyone? I mean NEVER, EVER, EVER tell ANYONE?" Helga asked.

Phoebe's eyes widened. Helga had never talked to her like this. Helga sounded . . . scared. Maybe this was it! Maybe Helga was finally going to open up!

"Of course, Helga. If it was a secret, I would never say a word to another living soul!" Phoebe promised, crossing an 'X' over her heart for emphasis.

_Well,_ Helga thought. _Here goes nothing. _She was just opening her mouth when the morning bell rang. Kids were streaming into their classrooms and Helga lost sight of Phoebe in the crowd.

_Oh well. It's not like I don't know where she went. Maybe telling her in school isn't exactly the best idea anyway, _Helga thought as she made her way to Mr. Simmons' classroom.

Outside the classroom, Helga and Arnold arrived at the door at the same instant. Arnold stopped dead at the sight of Helga and waited as she walked in first. He had learned to steer clear of her a long time ago, as she seemed to take great delight in tormenting him. But was that all there was to Helga? Arnold didn't think so, but it was just easier to stay out of her way. She seemed distracted this morning, anyway.

Still lost in her thoughts, Helga walked to her seat in silence, ignoring the usual ruckus that went on in the morning. Curly was bothering Nadine and Rhonda, as usual. Harold said something to Stinky and Sid and they all laughed, as usual. Eugene was showing Sheena one of the new bruises he sustained in one accident or another over the weekend. As usual. Arnold was just walking through the door with Gerald, and as usual, Helga's heart fluttered at the mere sight of him. Just another Monday morning at P.S. 118.

Phoebe was already at her desk-Helga had thought she would be-and when Helga took her seat behind her, Phoebe turned around quickly.

"What were you going to tell me in the hallway, Helga?" she asked. Helga appeared to think for a second, then shook her head.

"I don't remember now, Phoebs. It mustn't have been important. Forget it." She hated lying to her friend like this, but homeroom wasn't the best place for a soul cleansing confession. Besides, maybe talking about this was a bad idea, anyway.

For a few seconds Phoebe just looked at her. Her face looked troubled behind her glasses, as though she didn't really believe Helga.

_I know something's bothering you, Helga, _she thought. _Why won't you tell me? Why can't you just let me in, for once?_

Helga, meanwhile, had opened her notebook and was flipping through the pages as though she were searching for something. The truth was she didn't like the way Phoebe was looking at her. Phoebe knew she was lying. Guilt began to gnaw at Helga's belly, making her feel warm. At last she looked up and met Phoebe's eyes.

"Look, Phoebe! I said forget it! It wasn't anything important! Okay?" she yelled, and grimaced inwardly as Phoebe flinched. She really, REALLY hated yelling at her friend, but sometimes she couldn't help it. Besides, how long was she expected to sit there and endure that burning, accusatory stare Phoebe had fixed her with? But her anger had done the trick. The troubled look left Phoebe's face and was replaced by hurt.

"Okay, Helga," she said quietly and turned toward the front. Helga cursed herself and her anger. Phoebe was just trying to be a friend, and besides, she was the one who started all this in the hallway. Helga leaned forward and tapped Phoebe on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Phoebe," she said gently. "I promise I'll tell you if I remember. It's just, you know . . . hard for me to let anyone in."

Stunned, Phoebe turned to look at Helga again. She saw sadness in her friend's eyes, and . . . was that fear? Whatever Helga wanted to say, it had taken all of her courage to even approach Phoebe about it. Helga wanted to let her in, she was sure of it, but even now the blonde was afraid of what would happen afterwards. Phoebe smiled warmly at her friend.

"That's okay, Helga," she said softly. "You can tell me when you're ready, I mean, when you remember."

"Thanks, Phoebs," Helga said, and smiled back as the last few kids wandered into the classroom and found their seats, just as the last bell rang.

"Good morning, class! Did everyone have a nice weekend?" Mr. Simmons asked in his usual cheery voice. The class responded with their usual groan.

"Well, today we will review last week's material and go over your homework assignments." Another groan made its way across the class. They started to get their desks in order when the intercom interrupted.

"Good morning, students of P.S. 118," Principal Wartz said, as he did every morning. "Welcome back for another week of learning in this fine institution. I have a few announcements this morning. First, please use the trash cans provided for your refuse, not the hallway floor. Second, the school will not be responsible for any missing bikes. Please lock them up outside on the provided rack. And third, there will be a short assembly in the auditorium following the announcements in order to introduce a new addition to our faculty. Teachers, please take your students there in an orderly fashion. That is all."

"Okay class, you heard Principal Wartz. Let's go," Mr. Simmons said and led the class to the auditorium.

_**-X-X-X-**_

When the student body was seated, Principal Wartz walked to the podium on the stage and cleared his throat.

"Well, here we all are," he said over the din of noise the kids made as they roughhoused with each other. "Settle down now, please. Settle down." Slowly the room fell silent. "In an effort to keep communication lines open, and to stay in touch with the 'hip-hop generation'," he said, complete with finger quotes, drawing more than a few eyerolls, "we have a new faculty member to induct into our little 'family'. May I present, Miss Samantha Walker."

_Great, another teacher. _Helga thought, sourly.

Samantha walked onto the stage to little applause. Most of the student body thought something very similar to what Helga did, while others snickered and booed behind cupped hands.

"Hey!" she called as she got to the podium. "You don't even know me yet, hold your contempt for when you do and realize what a complete and utter dork I am!"

There was some laughter at this, and Helga had to smile. It wasn't often you found someone so well versed in the fine art of polite sarcasm.

"Now, no offense to Principal Wartz, but I have no idea what the 'hip-hop generation' is," she said, complete with finger quotes. "I'm clueless about current fashion trends, I couldn't name half the popular bands in existence today, and all those buttons on these newfangled game system controllers make my little girly head spin!"

Helga raised her one long eyebrow. There it was again. _Not bad. Not bad at all._

"But despite all of that, I'm here, and I'm eager to help in any way I can. I'm the new librarian. I'm not _really _a teacher, so I guess technically you don't _really _have to listen to me, but I do have two perfectly good ears that happen to work just fine if you need someone to listen to _you_." She smiled. "And I promise not to bore you to tears with stories about the 'old days' when I was your age. And before you ask, no, dinosaurs weren't still roaming the earth." Another murmur of laughter rolled throughout the auditorium. "Now, I know how much you all would like to sit there and sleep, I mean listen to me go on and on, but I've really got quite a bit of work to do back in the library. I'll be there all day-you know, because I work there-so try to stop in and say, 'hi'. Okay? Okay! Have a great day, everyone!" She stepped away from the podium with a little wave and hurried off the stage.

Principal Wartz walked back to the podium and addressed the crowd once again.

"Well, Miss Walker certainly knows how to talk to an audience, doesn't she? Kept it nice and simple. Be sure to stop in at the library and welcome her to our hallowed halls, students. All right, everyone back to class."

Phoebe hurried over to Helga as they traveled back to their classroom.

"Well, she seemed nice!" she said with a smile.

"Yeah, she was okay," Helga commented nonchalantly.

"Perhaps we should stop in and introduce ourselves sometime today," Phoebe suggested.

"Yeah," Helga said. "Maybe we will, Phoebs. Maybe we will."

~End of Chapter 2~


	3. Chapter 3

_Whoops! I guess the kindergarten flashback was in this chapter. Duh. Sorry if I confused anyone with last chapter's author's note. I could go back and change it but I'm lazy so I won't. XP_

_The kids belong to Craig._

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

**MEETING PHOEBE **

The rest of the day went pretty much the same as any other day. Phoebe answered a lot of questions. Curly bugged Rhonda. Stinky failed another quiz. The only surprise was that Eugene only went to the nurse's office twice. Once because of a poorly positioned ruler (don't ask) and again because he tripped and hit his head on the desk as he was coming back.

Helga was pretty much back to normal, too. Much to everyone's disappointment. Nowhere was this more evident than at recess.

"Come on, Football Head! While we're young!" she called as Arnold missed the kickball for the second time.

"Just roll the ball, Helga," he said with a sigh.

She did and he caught the side of it, making it swerve. Right into Stinky's waiting hands.

"Boy Arnold," he said, laughing. "That kick sure did bite!"

"All right, Head Boy's out. Switch sides!" Helga ordered. As she walked to the plate, Phoebe ran up to her.

"You sure seem to be feeling better, Helga," she commented.

"Yeah, must be the fresh air. You gonna play?"

"Physical exertion was never my strong point," she said, shaking her head. "I'll talk to you back inside."

"Okay, Phoebs."

Helga watched as her best friend (only friend, actually) walked back to the bench beside the school doors. She picked up the book she was reading and returned to where she had left off. Just as Phoebe had a hard time understanding Helga, Helga had a hard time understanding Phoebe. She was so smart when it came to books, but so clueless when it came to dealing with people. Maybe being exceptionally brilliant was a trade off.

Helga guessed that in other schools, Phoebe would have been classified as a nerd. She certainly was smart enough, and those glasses didn't help. Helga supposed that even in THIS school, Phoebe would have been labeled as a nerd. Would have been, that is, if Helga hadn't stepped in. When she looked at Phoebe for the first time, all those years ago, she didn't see a nerd. She saw a scared little girl, obviously wishing she could just curl up and disappear.

_**-X-X-X-**_

_"Boys and girls, we have a new student to meet today," Mrs. Sherman, the preschool teacher told her class. She went to the door and led a little girl in by the hand._

_"This is Phoebe Heyerdahl. She just moved to the city with her parents a few weeks ago. Say 'hello' everyone!"_

_There were a few snickers and some laughter among the kids but some did welcome the new girl. Arnold gave her a friendly smile. Helga was carefully watching her new classmate. After all, as her sister Olga would say in the future, Helga was an excellent judge of character._

_Helga was very observant, even at the tender age of 3 and a half. Every move that Phoebe made was telling Helga volumes._

_Phoebe was standing with her head down. _

Shy_, Helga thought._

_Her arms were wrapped tightly around the few books she had and she was clutching her lunch bag in her hand._

Probably spends more time reading than talking.

_"Nice to meet you," Helga barely heard Phoebe say. _Make that EXTREMELY shy_, she thought. _

_"All right, honey, why don't you go and have a seat next to Rhonda," Mrs. Sherman said and pointed Phoebe in the right direction. She walked with her head still lowered and Arnold was a little worried someone, like the recently held back Harold, would stick out their foot and trip her. He breathed a little sigh of relief when she made it to her seat without incident. _

_Helga was still watching closely. _

_When Phoebe sat down, Rhonda looked at her, said something to Nadine and then laughed. Helga couldn't hear what was said, but knowing Rhonda, it was probably something about Phoebe's clothes. Phoebe's face was already red from being the center of attention, and now she turned even darker. She put her books on her desk and readjusted her glasses, trying to ignore the stares coming from the other students._

_At lunchtime, Phoebe sat by herself, looking like she was ready to cry at any moment. Every time someone laughed or shouted, she jumped. Helga watched this and decided she had had enough. She was heading towards Phoebe when Arnold stepped in her path._

_"What do you want, Football Head?" she demanded._

_"What are you going to do to the new girl?" he asked._

_"What makes you think I'm going to do ANYTHING?"_

_"You pick on everybody, Helga. And she's already scared to death. I don't want you to scare her any more than she already is." He was looking at Helga with concern in his eyes. She wanted to just melt. _

_"You just mind your own business, Head Boy. I've got plans for the new kid," she said and shoved Arnold aside. He sighed and headed back to sit with Gerald._

Oh Arnold_, she thought. _So caring! So thoughtful of the feelings of others! If only I could tell you the feelings I have for you!_ She was looking after Arnold with a smile when she heard wheezing from right behind her. She turned her head and saw Brainy smiling at her._

_"What is YOUR problem?" she snapped._

_"*wheeze . . . wheeze* Uh . . . Nothing." he said, still smiling. _

_Without thinking about doing it, Helga made a fist and backhanded Brainy in the nose, and heard a satisfying 'thump' as he hit the floor. She then turned her attention back to the matter at hand._

_Helga walked up to Phoebe's table and sat down across from her. Phoebe looked up, terrified. Apparently, the idea that someone would want to sit with her had never occurred to the dark haired girl._

_"How you doing, Phoebs?" Helga asked casually._

_"I'm okay, I guess." Phoebe looked completely stunned._

_"Good. My name's Helga, by the way. I sit behind Gerald in class," she said and pointed to a dark little boy with tall hair. "I see you're stuck with the princess, Rhonda over there." She pointed to a fashionable girl with dark hair._

_"She seems very . . . nice."_

_"Yeah, well, looks aren't everything. She's friends with Nadine," Helga pointed to a girl with braided hair before pointing to a boy with his hat on backwards, "who sits behind Sid." Phoebe nodded._

_They went on like that for the whole lunch period-Helga casually naming kids and then pointing them out for Phoebe. Little by little, Phoebe started to relax and smile a little more often. By the time the bell rang for afternoon classes, Phoebe knew all of her classmates names and a little about each one. _

_Arnold was astonished. Helga was actually helping out the new girl. Phoebe looked much more relaxed when they got back to class, and she even answered a few questions. He was very impressed with the way Helga had handled the situation._

_At recess that day, Helga made it very clear to everyone that she had taken Phoebe under her wing. _

_"All right, you bunch of geeks, LISTEN UP!" she shouted over the usual recess noise. "This is Phoebe. You all had better be nice to her or else you'll have to answer to Ol' Betsy!" She raised her left fist for emphasis._

_Some of the kids looked at each other and gulped. Others (like Arnold) just rolled their eyes. Arnold knew that Helga really wasn't as bad as she seemed, she just liked to keep up her image. And now she was just taking care of Phoebe. He had to smile._

_Helga saw Arnold smiling at her, and she had to smile herself. _

_**-X-X-X-**_

"Hey, Helga! You gonna play or what?" Gerald yelled at her, snapping her out of her thoughts. All those memories had flashed through her mind in a matter of seconds.

"Huh? Oh! Uh, of course, Hair Boy! I was just thinking about how bad you guys are gonna lose!" she yelled back, regaining her composure. She walked up to the plate and the game continued.

When the bell ending recess rang, Helga's team was ahead by 4 points. This did not please Gerald, but it put Helga into an even better mood for the rest of the day, so he thought he could live with it. (Eugene was amazed that he had made it through an entire recess without an injury.)

Back in class, they went over their homework, and reviewed what was going to be on the test at the end of the week. Then, during last period, Mr. Simmons made an announcement.

"Class, I have a very special assignment for you. I want each of you to choose an animal and do a report explaining why you find that particular animal so interesting," he told them. This brought the usual groan back. "Now class, I know this is going to be a lot of work, so I'm going to give you a free period today. You can all go down to the library to start your reports. They will be due next Monday."

"This will give us a chance to meet Miss Walker," Phoebe told Helga.

"Oh, yeah. And won't that be a thrill," she answered, sarcastically. She really didn't mean it. In fact, she was looking forward to meeting the new librarian.

_Okay, Miss Samantha Walker,_ she thought. _Let's see what ya got._

~End of Part 3~


	4. Chapter 4

_I can barely read any of my old stuff without cringing. This just seems so dated to me. But I hope you all enjoy, as much as you can!_

* * *

**Chapter 4: **

**A NEW FRIEND?**

As Mr. Simmons led the class to the school library, he spoke to the kids about the new librarian.

"Now, boys and girls, I know you're going to be tempted to 'mess with the new teachers head' like you did when I first arrived, but please try to remember that Miss Walker is new to the city as well as the school. She is probably very nervous on her first day."

_She didn't seem all that nervous at the assembly this morning,_ Helga thought. _She seemed to be calmer than Principal Wartz, and talked to the kids a lot easier. _

Helga was deep within her thoughts and hadn't noticed that they had reached the library doors. The rest of the class had stopped and she bumped into Arnold hard enough to make her teeth rattle.

"What's the big idea, Arnoldo?" she asked angrily.

"Hey, you walked into ME!" he answered, a little irritated. Before Helga could comment, Mr. Simmons turned around.

"Helga, Arnold, simmer down please. Okay class, remember what I said and PLEASE behave."

He pushed the doors open and lead the class inside. Then they stopped, mouths hanging agape. The library they had known for years was gone. Before them was what looked like World War III. Books were piled on the tables and counter, and the card catalog was completely dissected. Apparently "I've got quite a bit of work to do" (as she had said at the assembly) was a bit of an understatement. She must have been reorganizing the ENTIRE library!

As the 4th grade class stared in amazement at what they saw before them, the computer behind the counter started to beep. Followed by a very human sound.

"Will you please cooperate, you stupid piece of hardware?" There was the sound of some typing and then more beeps. "'System error'? I entered the right thing you little . . . All right then, how about this?" More typing. More beeps. More yelling.

"'System error, system error'! How 'bout I put my foot through your screen, how 'bout that for a system error!" Samantha Walker screamed at the computer and stood up. That's when she noticed she had an audience.

"Oh, hi!" she said, color rising to her cheeks. "Guess you guys discovered my weakness, huh?" She slapped the monitor for emphasis and it produced a new series of beeps. She shot it an annoyed look, then turned her attention back to her visitors as she came around the counter.

Helga looked at the new librarian. Now that she was closer, she saw how young Miss Walker really was. She looked to only be in her early twenties, probably not much older than Olga. She was average height, probably around 5' 6", and she dressed fairly casual. She wore a pair of small oval shaped glasses, and her wavy red hair barely brushed her shoulders, bouncing ever so slightly whenever the young woman spoke.

"So, what can I get for you today? You're Mr. . . Simmons right? Fourth grade?" she said and offered her hand. Mr. Simmons looked surprised as he reached out his own hand.

"Yes, how did you know that?"

"I looked through the school yearbook over the weekend and tried to memorize the teacher's names and grades. That way the kids will be easier to remember," she said as they shook.

"Well, that's a very special talent. It's nice to meet you Miss Walker. And let me say that it's nice to have you here with us." His eyes wandered again to the mess behind her and she smiled.

"Yeah, I know. It looks like a tornado went through this place, but believe me, its nothing compared to the mess I walked in to. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING was out of place. I figured it was just a heck of a lot easier to pull everything out and reorganize it that way." She looked behind him and saw the kids staring at her. "So, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?" she asked, smiling.

"I've given the kids an assignment on animals. They each have to pick one that's special to them and then write a report on it explaining why. But with the library in this condition . . . " Mr. Simmons started but Miss Walker was shaking her head.

"Don't worry, Mr. Simmons." She turned and pointed to the stacks on the tables. "Each pile has its own theme, and I should be able to find whatever the kids should need. You just leave these kids with me and I'll take care of everything."

"Okay, I've got some paperwork to do back in the classroom, anyway. Just send them back if they get too rowdy."

"I think I can handle these ruffians," she said with a smile and winked at the kids. Most of the kids smiled back at her.

"All right, Miss Walker. Thank you," Mr. Simmons said and turned to the class. "Okay boys and girls, don't give her any trouble," he told them as he walked out the door. The class watched him go, then turned back to the new librarian. She looked at them with one eyebrow raised.

_Oh boy, here it comes,_ Helga thought. _ Now she drops the old 'Nice girl, I'm your buddy' routine and tells us to sit down and shut up._

"Well. Alone at last, huh? Okay, the first thing I want to tell you all is this: call me Sam. Or Sammy. Just don't call me 'Miss Walker'. That makes me feel like an old lady and I'm not a whole lot older than you guys."

The kids were amazed. Call an adult by their first name? A TEACHER no less! She _was_ going to be different!

"Second," she continued, ignoring the stares from the kids, "I don't want you to see me as a teacher. I want to be your friend. Someone you can talk to when no one else will listen. Your big sister." Helga scoffed at this and Sammy glanced at her. "I see someone doesn't have the best relationship with her big sister," she said smiling.

"Doi!" Helga muttered and rolled her eyes. Sammy looked thoughtfully at her for a moment, then addressed the class again.

"Anyway, all I'm saying is this: I'm not like all the other teachers or grown ups you've known. I'm not going to lecture you on anything, or talk down to you, or tell you what to do with your lives. I'll help you whenever and however I can, and all I ask in return is one thing. Treat everyone as an equal and expect from them what you would expect from yourself." The kids were staring at her in confusion. She leaned forward with a mischievous grin.

"Bottom line: Don't mess with me. If you take advantage of me, I WILL become like every other teacher you've ever known. And believe me, you wouldn't like that!" she said still smiling.

The kids looked at each other with laughter in their eyes and relaxed. Sammy saw this and nodded.

"That's right, I'm not the big scary ogre you were expecting. I'm just a girl who moved to the 'big city' to try and make it on her own. I can be your best friend if you treat me nice, and a real pain if you don't. The choice is yours. Well, now that that's out of the way, come on. I need names here!" she said as she ushered the kids in and toward the tables. The class was careful not to bump any of the books stacked on them when they sat down.

Arnold was elected to introduce everyone since the rest of the kids became shy all of a sudden. As he did, he told Sammy a little about each classmate, much in the same way Helga introduced them to Phoebe all those years ago. In about 10 minutes, Sam had all of their names and basic personalities memorized. She then went to each kid and helped them pick out the perfect subject for their reports.

Arnold chose dolphins, because they are smart and helpful.

Gerald picked tigers, because in his words, "They're just really big and cool."

Harold chose the hyena. (Once he saw a picture of one, he was hooked.)

In no time, every kid had an animal and was busily writing from a book Sam had given them. All, that is, except one. Sam walked over to Arnold and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Arnold, who's that?" she asked, pointing to the little girl with the big pink bow. Arnold looked and frowned.

"Oh, that's Helga."

"You don't like her?"

"It's not that I don't like her, it's just that . . . " He shrugged. "She doesn't seem to like me. She's always picking on me, even though I never do anything to her."

"YOU?" Gerald laughed. "Arnold, Helga picks on EVERYBODY."

"Doesn't she have ANY friends?" Sammy asked Gerald.

"Yeah, Phoebe. And no one can figure out why. The rest of us can't stand her," he answered.

"Gerald, that's not true!" Arnold interrupted. "Sure she can be annoying, but it's not exactly like we HATE her! Besides, if Phoebe is friends with her, than she can't be that bad."

Gerald thought about this, then shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess that makes SOME sense. I just don't understand what Phoebe could get out of a friendship with her," he said and went back to his report.

Sammy, meanwhile, was looking at Helga. She could be a pretty good judge of character herself and you could tell a lot about a person by the way they carried themselves. She studied the girl closely.

Helga was sitting at a table with Phoebe. They were on opposite ends and Phoebe was diligently working on her report. (She had chosen seahorses; the fact that the male is the one to give birth immensely interested her.) Helga, however, was just sitting there. She had her one long eyebrow pulled down to her eyes and looked like she was ready to spit nails. She had avoided Sam all period, and was the only kid in the class the new librarian had not spoken with.

_Why does she look so MAD? _ Sam wondered. _Does she think I don't like her? Maybe she's mad at me for that joke about her sister. Or, maybe she thinks she has to keep up her image in front of the other kids. _

Helga scowled whenever anyone walked by her, and Sammy could tell by the way she did it that it was just for show. She was just trying to protect her reputation. But what was that other look on her face? The look that settled deep within the girl's eyes? Was that loneliness? Sadness?

Samantha Walker decided the time had come to find out. She stood up, took a deep breath and started walking toward the table where Phoebe and this very interesting little girl sat.

~End of Chapter 4~


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

**THE FIRST ENCOUNTER**

On her way over to the table, Sammy noticed a pile of poorly stacked books start to tilt. Then she saw the boy sitting right where they would land.

"Eugene, look out!" she cried. He looked up, saw the danger he was in, and shut his eyes tightly. Sam ran toward him at full speed and yanked him out of his chair by the back of his shirt just as the books fell to the floor. The other kids stared in amazement and applauded. Helga was looking on with interest.

"Are you okay, Eugene? Did I hurt you?" Sammy asked as the applause died down. She saw a red mark on his neck from his collar. Eugene was rubbing it but smiling.

"You saved my life! That pile of books could have killed me! And all I have is a rub burn on my neck! How can I ever thank you?" he exclaimed.

"I really don't think those books would have killed you, Eugene. You probably would have gotten some bruises and a bump on the head, that's about it. It was probably my fault to begin with. I'm the one who put you there, after all. Just thank me by being a little more careful and accepting my apologies for that nasty mark on your neck," she said, pointing to it.

"Okay! Thanks, Sam!"

They went back to his table and he helped Sammy pick up the books. She made sure to stack them a little more stable this time, and checked his chair before she allowed him to sit down. She didn't want him to fall out of a wobbly chair; that would be just too ironic.

After Eugene was taken care of, Sammy resumed her previous mission. She walked over to the table where Phoebe and Helga were sitting and sat down next to Phoebe, who looked up and smiled.

"Hello, Miss-I mean, Sam."

"Hi Phoebe. Are you discovering a lot of things about seahorses?" Although she was talking to Phoebe, Sammy was watching Helga out of the corner of her eye. (She was straight across from her.) Likewise, Helga was watching her.

"Oh my, yes! I never would have thought to choose a seahorse, but they are extremely interesting creatures!" Her face lit up as she spoke and Sammy smiled. She was going to like Phoebe.

"Well, that's good. I'm glad I could help you." Then she turned and looked at Helga. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Sammy."

Helga sat there. Glaring. After a few seconds, Sam leaned close to Phoebe.

"Is she mute?" she jokingly asked. Phoebe didn't smile.

"No, that's Helga. Sometimes she can be a little . . . difficult." she said, softly. Helga sneered at her friend.

"'Difficult'? 'DIFFICULT'? I'm not being 'difficult' just because I'm not falling all over myself to meet the fresh meat!" she snapped. Phoebe winced and lowered her head. Sam narrowed her eyes and gazed at Helga.

"There's no need to yell at her, Helga. And you don't have to 'fall all over yourself' to meet me. I already know your name, and you already know mine. The introduction is always the hardest part of a conversation, but now that that's over, let's get on with it, shall we?" she said sternly.

Helga was stunned. No one had ever spoken to her like that. No one. This fact made her incredibly angry. She gritted her teeth and curled her hands into tight fists. She slammed them on the table and leaned forward.

"Okay, Miss Know It All," she said through her clenched teeth. "If you're so smart, what animal should I choose?"

Sammy realized that the library had gotten very quiet. She could feel all the other kids watching them, waiting to see what would happen. Helga was looking at her, smiling evilly.

_This kid is good, _Sammy thought._ She knows exactly how to get attention. Let's see if she can take it as well as she dishes it out._ She smiled slyly. At the sight of it, Helga's own grin wavered slightly.

"Okay, Helga. I think I have the perfect animal for your report." She leaned forward. Now she and Helga were nose to nose.

"Lay it on me, sister!" Helga hissed.

"Turtles."

Helga's eyebrow slowly raised as she sat back. There was confusion on her face. She stared at the librarian with wide eyes.

"Turtles? _Turtles?_ Everyone else gets hyenas, tigers and dolphins, and I get _TURTLES?_" The anger was returning to her face.

At one of the other tables, Gerald turned to Arnold, shaking his head.

"Well, she's dead. I wonder who our NEW, new librarian will be," he said.

Arnold wasn't so sure. Sammy was up to something. He could see it in her face.

"You heard me," she said, sitting back. "Turtles."

"_WHY?"_

"Because turtles are very overlooked creatures," Sammy said, adjusting her small wire framed glasses on her nose. "Think about it. Whenever kids have to do reports on animals, they always pick the cute ones. Or the ferocious ones. Nobody wants to study turtles."

"Because they're BORING!" Helga shouted.

"Just because they're not the fastest, or the best looking, or the most popular animals on the planet, doesn't mean they're boring, Helga. They happen to be very interesting creatures. I mean, think about it! How many other animals were living at the age of dinosaurs, millions upon millions of years ago, and are still around today, pretty much the same as they were then? Turtles can live to be over 100 years old! Females travel hundreds of miles through the ocean to lay their eggs on the same beach, year after year!"

Helga thought about this. She had to admit, the redhead had a point. They did sound pretty neat. Sam gave her a few more seconds then leaned forward again.

"It's been my experience that things that are overlooked are usually the most interesting," she said quietly. Helga looked up and met her gaze.

"People are like that, too. Don't you think?" Sammy whispered and winked. Helga smiled, just as the day's final bell rang. The young librarian jumped at the sound and stood up.

"Okay everybody! Before you go, I want you to stop at the counter and write down your name and the book you're taking with you! I don't want to lose a bunch of books on my first day on the job!" she called over the noise. She looked down to see Helga staring at her again. Sammy met her eyes and smiled at this very engaging little girl before heading over to the counter to tend to the rest of the kids.

Helga watched her go, then turned her attention to Phoebe. Her friend was quietly gathering her things with her head still lowered. She looked up only when Helga called her name.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you again. This just doesn't seem to be a good day to talk to me. I'm really sorry, Phoebs." Helga looked at Phoebe, expecting to see her smiling, but to her surprise, Phoebe wasn't. She was just looking at Helga, sadly.

"I know, Helga. You get like this, sometimes. I just wish you could talk to me and tell me why. I'm your friend, and I care about you, but it hurts sometimes when you don't trust me enough to tell me anything."

Helga was shocked.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Phoebs, it's just that . . . I . . . uh . . . ."

"I know, I know," Phoebe said, nodding. "You have trouble letting anyone in." She sighed. "I just wish you would talk to me about _something_. I'm your best friend, Helga. That's what best friends do." Tears were starting to spill down her cheeks, and she walked to the counter without another look back.

As Phoebe got to the counter, the last of her classmates were heading out the door. Sammy took down Phoebe's information, wondering if she should get in the middle of what appeared to be a best friend fight. She argued with herself and finally lost (or won, depending how you looked at it. She _was_ arguing with herself, after all.)

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," Phoebe replied and sniffed. "Just another day in the life of Helga G. Pataki's best friend." She smiled weakly, picked up her borrowed book, and left.

Now the only remaining people in the library were Helga and Samantha.

~End of Chapter 5~


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

**CAN WE TALK?**

For a few minutes, Helga just sat there. Sammy wasn't sure what to do. Should she go over to her? Phoebe was pretty upset when she left, maybe Helga had said something to her. Maybe . . .

Samantha shook her head to clear it. _Would you mind your own business? _she told herself. _Don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong! If Helga wants to talk to you about it, she will. Leave her alone._

Having decided that, Sam started back at the computer. She picked up right where she left off. _It _was beeping, _she_ was talking back to it.

"Don't tell me I've got to dump this whole thing and start all over," she pleaded. She was careful to keep her voice down, so she didn't disturb Helga.

"You little booger of a machine," she muttered and searched for the manual.

She was looking for instructions on clearing the memory when a hand reached past her and grabbed the mouse. As she watched, the hand moved the mouse, clicked a few times, and opened the file she had been fighting with since the day she started on the computer.

"Well, I'll be dipped," Sammy said in amazement. She looked up to see Helga standing there with a faint smile on her lips.

"You had this on," she said, pointing to a little icon at the top of the screen. "You can't do anything else unless you disable it."

"That was it? _That_ was the reason I've been fighting with this thing for days?"

Helga looked at her and nodded.

"Well, it looks like it's a good thing I met you today, Miss Helga G. Pataki. Otherwise I would have tossed this thing out the window. Of course, with my luck, it would have landed on someone, killed them, and then I would be in jail. I wouldn't be happy in jail. I don't look good in orange jumpsuits. Ugh."

There was an awkward silence between them for a few moments. Sammy could feel the tension in the air, and wished Helga would say something. She knew Helga had something on her mind, it was practically written on her face.

_Come on, Helga, _she thought._ There's a reason you're still here, tell me. _

Finally, Sammy couldn't take it anymore. Silence was okay for a while, but too much of it made her nervous. She cleared her throat.

"Are you okay, Helga?" she asked softly. "Is there something on your mind?"

Helga looked at Sam for a long time. Her brow drew down to her eyes again. But she wasn't angry, she was thinking. Hard.

_Should I? I need to talk to someone, at least about this thing with Phoebe. If I can trust her with this, maybe later on . . . _She pushed that thought away. She needed to take care of Phoebe first.

Sammy let her take all the time she needed. She watched as Helga fought it out in her mind and finally made a decision. Then Helga shook her head minutely and took a deep breath.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "There is something I need to talk about. About Phoebe."

Sammy nodded and pulled a chair out of the office behind the counter.

"Have a seat." Helga did. "Start at the beginning. Tell me everything."

At first, Helga wasn't sure she was going to be able to do it. The words started slowly, then came faster. Soon they were flowing from her mouth like water from a burst dam. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she wiped them away absently.

She told Sammy everything. From the first time she saw Phoebe, to the time she tricked her into taking a dive at the contest, to the event that had happened that morning. As she spoke, Helga realized how much Phoebe really meant to her.

When she finished, she looked down at her hands folded in her lap. What would Sammy say? Would she hate Helga for all the rotten things she's done to her 'best friend'?

For a time, Sammy sat and looked at the young blonde. Helga was quite possibly the most complex person she had ever met. On the outside, she looked hard and tough. But on the inside was a sensitive, loving, insecure little girl. She also looked scared to death right now.

"Say something," Helga pleaded.

"What do you want me to say?" Sammy asked softly.

Helga looked up with fear in her eyes. Sammy looked back with compassion in hers.

"Do you want me to forgive you, Helga? Do you want me to say 'That's okay, Helga, she'll get over it?' I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

Helga couldn't believe her ears. _She made me open up, she made me tell her everything and now she's saying, 'Tough luck, kid'? I can't believe this! _

"Nevermind! Forget I said anything, then! I should have known better than to trust a _teacher_!" She stood and turned to leave but her foot caught the leg of the chair and she fell, knocking it over in the process. She was crying harder now and every attempt to right herself only resulted in getting her dress tangled around the leg. The harder she fought, the tighter her dress became.

Frustrated, Helga stopped struggling. Then she put her face in her hands and cried. She cried for her friend, she cried for the secrets locked within her, but most of all, she cried for herself. She had never felt so alone.

She sat that way for a moment, weeping into her hands. Then she felt someone untangle her dress, and push the chair away. Then that someone was in front of her, caressing her hair and comforting her. Before Helga even knew what she was doing, she leaned forward and hugged Sammy tightly. Fresh tears leaked from her eyes as Sammy hugged back.

They sat that way for a while, girl crying and woman comforting. Soon Helga's tears slowed and her sobs quieted. Sammy waited until she was sure Helga had gotten it all out, then spoke to her.

"Feel better?" she asked softly.

Helga slowly pulled away, sniffed and nodded. She wiped at the tears still on her cheeks and wiped her nose with her arm.

"Ew, don't do that," Sammy said and leaned forward. She pulled a box of tissues from under the counter and handed them to Helga. "Here."

"Thanks."

"What I meant was, I'm not the one you need to forgive you. Phoebe is," Sammy explained. "Go talk to her."

Helga shook her head.

"I can't talk to Phoebe."

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

"Why? There has to be a reason, Helga," Sammy insisted.

"I don't know why, I just CAN'T!" Helga was getting angry again. Sammy put her hands on the girl's shoulders to calm her, only to have Helga shrug them off.

"I don't need your pity," she said coldly.

"I don't pity you, Helga. I'm worried about you."

"Save it. Helga G. Pataki can take care of herself," she said and rose to leave. "I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about what happened here."

"Gee, it's a good thing you told me that," Sammy said, rising. "I was just about to run to the paper and take out a full page ad! Give me a little credit, Pataki."

For a moment Helga stood there, studying the librarian. Then she grabbed her books and stomped out the door. As the door swung shut, Sammy was busy arguing with herself.

_The kid's nuts._

_No she's not, she just needs someone to talk to. _

_She's nuts! One minute she's crying in your lap, the next she's saying that she can take care of herself. Face facts, Sam. The kid's a total loon._

Sammy shut out that voice before it could continue and thought about the past hour. She reviewed what she had learned about this odd little girl.

When the other kids were around, Helga was tough as nails. When it was just the two of them, she softened. Then there was that sudden emotional outburst. And she had hugged Sammy without hesitation. Was it possible that she was starving for attention? 'Helga G. Pataki can take care of herself' she had said. But could she? Could she really? Sammy wasn't sure.

She tried to convince herself to just let it go and forget about it, without success. That little girl needed help. She needed a friend. She still had a lot of things that needed talked about, Sammy was sure of it. But Sammy didn't really know anything about Helga, other than the fact that she felt horrible about the whole 'Phoebe thing'. Then she got an idea.

In order to help Helga, she would have to learn more about her. And since Helga wasn't exactly in the talking mood, Sammy would just have to ask someone else. Someone who had known her for years. And Sammy had the perfect person in mind.

_I'm going to help you whether you want me to or not, Helga G. Pataki, _she thought. _I never could pass up a challenge. And you, dear child, started this whole thing simply by being so darn interesting._

Smiling, she went back to work on the file Helga had freed. As she worked, she thought about the events that had taken place that day. And the events that would take place in the days that followed.

~End of Chapter 6~


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

**HELGA'S DREAM**

As Helga walked home, she thought about what had happened a little while ago. She had opened up to the new librarian, just a little, but it was enough to make her question herself.

_Why on earth would I break down to a total stranger like that?_ she asked herself. _I cried. I hugged her. Then I took off. She must think I'm a total loon. _

But did she? Sammy had hugged Helga back; she had felt it. And, at that moment, didn't she feel a little, well, better? Her parents almost never hugged her, (_but they hug OLGA, _part of her mind reminded her bitterly) so maybe she was craving physical contact. Or maybe she was just really upset over the fight with Phoebe. She didn't know. All she was sure about was the fact that she did feel a little better after talking to Sammy. And that she had something to think about that night.

Helga stayed in her room, thinking, until supper was ready. At the table, Big Bob noticed how quiet his daughter was.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," she answered quietly. She pushed the food around on her plate a little more. She didn't really have an appetite. Too much was on her mind. Her father frowned.

"Whadda ya mean, 'nothing'? You haven't eaten anything since you sat down!" he boomed. Helga shrugged.

"I'm just not that hungry, I guess."

"Not hungry? There are starving kids in Atlanta, for criminey's sake!"

"Africa, Dad."

"Whatever, you just clean your plate. A kid's gotta eat, Olga," he said as he went back to his own dinner. Helga slammed her hands on the table.

"It's HELGA, Dad! For the millionth time, my name is _HELGA_!" she screamed, rising from her chair. Miriam flinched, spilling her milk. Bob looked at his wife, then back at their daughter.

"You see what you did? You keep your voice down, young lady!" he yelled. Helga laughed.

"Oh, yeah. You're a good one to tell me to keep my voice down, DAD. All you do is yell!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't you talk to me like that, young missy! You go up to your room right now!" he ordered.

"FINE!" she screamed, shoving her chair aside. She stomped all the way to her room and slammed the door as hard as she could.

At the table, Miriam was cleaning up her spill.

"B, don't you think you were a little hard on her?" she asked quietly.

"No way, Miriam. That girl needs to learn a little respect. I would never have spoken to my papa that way, and she isn't going to talk to me like that!" he said and calmly returned to his meal.

Upstairs, Helga was pacing around in a circle. Her emotions were going haywire, and she was talking to herself.

"Criminey! I can't believe the day I'm having! I get up this morning all excited because I was going to find someone to confide in, probably Phoebe, and only end up yelling at her! I make her cry, just because I can't open up to her." She stopped pacing and thought about what she said. Was that the truth? Was it because she CAN'T open up to Phoebe, or because she WON'T? What exactly was holding her back?

_But I did open up to Sammy,_ she thought._ Even if it was only for a little bit, I told her things I never told anyone else. She listened to me. And she was trying to help me, but then I ran. Why am I always running?_

Helga shook her head and threw herself on her bed, rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Thoughts came in and out of her mind in a blur. Soon they started to lose consistency; she was getting sleepy. It had been a pretty emotional day, and her body needed time to recharge. Helga didn't mind. She allowed herself to drift . . . . and eventually, to dream.

_**-X-X-X-X-**_

Helga looked around herself. She didn't know where she was, and there was a fine layer of mist on the ground. The air was foggy, Helga couldn't see more than five feet in any direction. But she wasn't alone. She could feel other people here.

"Hello?" she called, her voice slightly echoing. "Who's there?"

No answer.

"Who's there?" she asked again, getting scared. She heard a noise behind her and whirled around, seeing nothing.

But something was a little off. She looked down at herself and discovered she wasn't wearing her usual jumper-tee shirt combination. Instead, she had on the dress she wore the night she and Arnold had gone to the French restaurant. The night she had gone as 'Cecile'. She reached up and found that her hair was down and she had a smaller bow in.

_What's going on? Why am I dressed as 'Cecile'?_ she wondered. She didn't realize it, but she wasn't really dressed as 'Cecile'. This was how she would dress if she didn't have a reputation to worry about. This is how she would dress to just be herself. This was what the REAL Helga would wear. Exactly how she had dressed on her unofficial date with Arnold.

Then, as if she had summoned him with her thoughts, Arnold stepped out of the fog. He was smiling and holding his hand out to her.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you," he said, smiling kindly. Helga frowned.

"I'm not who you think I am. I'm not Cecile," she told him. Arnold shook his head, his smile never wavering.

"I know. It's not Cecile I'm looking for. I'm looking for the girl I met at the restaurant. The girl who helped me discover how I really felt about Ruth. The girl with the pretty blue eyes," he explained, coming closer. Helga smiled and reached for his hand. She had never felt so happy.

"Oh Arnold . . ." she started, but before she could go any further, someone else came out of the fog and stepped between them.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" the newcomer asked her. Helga stared in shock. She was standing eye to eye with . . . herself. The 'Helga' everyone sees. Complete with jumper-tee shirt combo, stiff pigtails, and huge pink bow. The intruder's eyebrow was pulled down in anger as she glared at Helga. She then turned to Arnold and scowled.

"Beat it, Football Head! This is none of your business!" she sneered and grabbed Helga's arm, pulling her away from him.

"NO!" Helga protested. "He likes me! He really does! Let go!"

Arnold watched the unwelcome visitor drag Helga away. There was a sadness in his eyes that Helga couldn't bear seeing. He spoke once more before disappearing back into the fog.

"I'm sorry, Helga. I tried," he whispered. Then he was gone.

Helga felt that her heart would break. Tears were leaking from her eyes as the other girl spun her around to face her.

"What are you crying over _him_ for?" she asked meanly. "He's just a stupid Football Head!"

"I love him," Helga replied, still weeping.

"Snap out of it! You're Helga G. Pataki! You don't need anyone!" The girl grabbed Helga's shoulders and pulled her close. "You don't know what love is," she whispered into Helga's tear streaked face. Helga stared at her in horror.

"That's not true!" she cried, breaking free of the other girl's grip.

"Really? When have you ever felt love before? Who has ever shown any affection for you in your entire life?"

"Well, my parents . . . " Helga started and the other girl laughed.

"Your parents? They only pay attention to you when it's convenient for THEM. Are they there for you when you need them? Can you go to them when you have a problem? Face it. You're all alone. And you'll be alone, forever."

"No . . . " Helga whispered. The other girl nodded.

"Yes. The only way to survive is to be tougher and meaner than everyone else. People only want to get close to you so they can hurt you. You've got to push them away before they can do it."

Helga looked at the girl before her. She was right. How could she possibly expect Arnold to love her, when she didn't even know what it was? She slowly nodded her head, and the other girl smiled.

"Good girl. I knew you'd see it my way." Helga was standing with her head down and the other girl put an arm around her shoulders. "Now, the first thing we gotta do is . . ."

"NO!" a voice shouted. The two girls jumped and looked in the direction it came from.

Samantha Walker came out of the fog. Her brows were drawn down and her eyes were narrowed into slits. She had a look of pure determination on her face, and was glaring at the girls.

"Leave her alone," she told the girl. Then she looked at Helga. "Come over here, Helga."

"Sammy?" Helga was stunned. The other girl, however, didn't look happy. She pushed Helga behind her and faced Sammy.

"Get lost, Red! She doesn't need you!" she growled.

"I'd like to hear that from Helga, if you don't mind," Sammy told her, then looked at Helga. "How 'bout it, Helga?"

Helga looked back and forth between them. She was so confused, she felt like crying. The other girl looked at her sharply.

"Don't you dare cry. Don't you dare! Crying is a sign of weakness, and Pataki's don't show weakness!" she hissed.

That's when it all fell into place for Helga. The girl before her was a personification of her anger. All those things she had said weren't true. But this, this _thing_ in front of her, lived off every insecure thought Helga had ever had. And it believed them. Every one.

"Helga?" someone called from behind her. She knew that voice anywhere. She turned to see Phoebe coming out of the fog. The other Helga turned, and fixed Phoebe with an icy stare.

"Take a hike, sister. She doesn't need you. We don't need anyone," she said and looked at Helga. "Right?"

"It's your choice, Helga," Phoebe said quietly.

"Do you want help? Or do you want _that_?" Sammy asked disgustedly and pointed to the other Helga (who sneered at her).

Helga looked at each girl, as she backed away from her twin. Her heart was beating fast, and her mouth had gone dry.

"I . . . I want . . . uh . . . ."

All three girls were looking at her intently, waiting for her answer. Then the fog started to thicken, and wound its way around them. For a moment Helga could still see them clearly, then they were dark shapes in the mist.

"What do you want, Helga?" the three asked in unison. And then they were gone.

"I want . . . help," she said quietly.

No answer from the others.

"I want help," she said louder. Soon she was screaming it.

"I want help. I want help! I want help! I WANT HELP! I WANT

"HELP! I WANT HELP!" Helga screamed, sitting up on the bed. She sat up too fast and slid off, smacking her elbow off the nightstand as she hit the floor.

"Helga, are you all right?" Miriam was asking from the hallway. There was obvious concern in her voice. Before Helga could answer, the door was open and her mother was inside, coming toward her.

"Honey, what happened? You were screaming and I heard a 'thump'," she asked as she helped her daughter up.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, I'm okay, Mom," she said, rubbing her hurt elbow. "I just had a bad dream and fell off the bed, that's all."

"Must have been a pretty bad one, judging by the way you were screaming."

"The worst."

Miriam looked at Helga. She wished they had more in common. Olga was always more ladylike than her sister, and Miriam could talk to her easier. Helga was very much like her father, in looks and personality. Talking to Helga was sometimes harder than NOT talking to her. She never knew how her daughter would react.

"Well, I have just the cure for bad dreams," Miriam said as she walked toward the door. "What do you say we go downstairs and whip up a batch of smoothies? Just you and me?"

For a moment Helga just stood there. Miriam waited, not knowing what to expect. Then her daughter smiled, walked over and hugged her around the middle.

"That sounds great, Mom," Helga said, and looked up into her mother's eyes. "That sounds really great."

Miriam hugged her younger daughter tightly, then they made their way to the kitchen. They made smoothies and ate them. They talked, laughed, and then talked some more. By bedtime Helga was very tired and could barely remember the dream she had had earlier, much to her relief.

As she got ready for bed, she thought about Phoebe. And Sammy. And what she would do the next day.

_I've got to take care of Phoebs first. I'll get to Sammy later, but Phoebe is my best friend, (I hope she still is, anyway), and I have to clear this up with her before I lose my mind!_

The moment the decision was made, Helga found herself drifting off. If she was lucky, she would dream of Arnold tonight. If not, she hoped she would dream of nothing at all.

This time, luck was with her.

~End of Chapter 7~


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

**SAMANTHA'S IDEA**

The next day, Samantha Walker arrived at school early. She went to the 4th grade classroom, hoping to find Mr. Simmons before the kids started filing in. She was in luck. He was sitting at his desk, correcting some quiz papers from the previous day.

"Oh, Stinky," he murmured. "It's 'yellow'. Not 'yeller'."

"He just spells it the way he says it. He can't help it he's got an accent." Sammy said as she came through the door, making him jump. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, no. That's all right. I just didn't expect a visitor so early in the morning. I usually take this time to catch up on some paperwork for the day."

"Oh, I didn't mean to disturb you. I could come back later."

"No, that's okay, Miss Walker. Come in, please," he said, motioning for her to sit down.

"Thank you, and please, call me Sammy." She sat.

"So, what brings you to my neck of the school?" he asked, leaning against his desk. Sammy thought for a minute, then looked up at Mr. Simmons.

"I need to ask you something." _Careful, Sammy. If Helga finds out you've been asking questions about her, she won't be too happy._

"Ask away."

Sam took a deep breath. _Here goes._

"I've been thinking about . . ." _about what? Think fast, Sammy-girl._ Mr. Simmons was looking at her questioningly. Her mind went blank. Then, inspiration.

"I'm notorious for jumping into projects and then getting totally sidetracked. Something that should only take a few hours ends up lasting a few days! That's what happened with the library reorganization. I started out with this great idea in my head, but as time went on . . ." She shrugged.

"You discovered it wasn't working like you planned," he finished, nodding. She smiled.

"Yeah. I need a little help. I could use a couple of kids to come down and keep me on track. You know, sort of keep me from getting any more sidetracked than I already am."

Mr. Simmons thought about this, and Sammy held her breath. Kids were starting to make their way into the school, and the hallways were filling with noise. At last Mr. Simmons looked at her and nodded.

"I suppose helping out in the library would be a good experience. As long as it doesn't interfere with their schoolwork. And only if the students agree to it." Sammy let out her breath in a sigh of relief.

"Of course. Exactly what I was thinking," she said, smiling.

"Did you have anyone in particular in mind?" he asked, returning to his chair. Sammy stood and walked to the front of his desk.

"Well, I think Phoebe is pretty much a given. She struck me as a very smart, and well organized little girl. Arnold was friendly, and so was his friend, Gerald." She paused. "I was also thinking about that other girl, what was her name? Helga?"

Mr. Simmons had been nodding his head at her other choices, but at hearing the last, he stopped abruptly. He looked at her as though she had just suggested they run outside and try to flag down UFO's.

"Helga?" he asked, doubtfully.

"Am I missing something? What's wrong with Helga?" she asked.

"Well, nothing's wrong with her, it's just that . . ." He struggled to find the right words. "Sometimes, she can be a little . . ."

"Difficult?" she offered. He looked at her in surprise and she nodded. "That's how Phoebe described her. But I spoke to Helga and she seemed to be a very intelligent little girl. Just somewhat . . . stand-offish."

"She IS very intelligent. She has a lot of talent as a writer." It was Sammy's turn to look surprised. "Oh, yes. She's written some very wonderful poetry," he told her as he looked through his bottom drawer.

"Poetry? Helga?" she asked, amazed. He nodded and pulled out a stack of papers.

"Whenever I give the class a creative writing assignment, she always turns in a poem. They're quite good," he commented, handing the stack to Sammy. She was amused to see that Helga had signed the poems 'anonymous', but her name was clearly written on the top right corner of the paper.

"She writes beautifully, but she acts so badly sometimes. I just can't figure that girl out," Mr. Simmons said as Sammy looked through the papers. There were so many!

_These might give me a little insight to what she feels, _she thought._ Poets always write from their very soul, and this could be a disguised cry for help._

Kids were starting to make their way into the classroom, and Sammy wanted to be gone before Helga came in. She looked at Mr. Simmons, who was still watching her.

"Mr. Simmons, could I borrow these? I'm a sucker for good poetry, and besides, I'd like to learn a little more about Helga." _And maybe help her, _she thought but didn't say. He thought about this and nodded.

"I don't think there would be any harm in it. They were class assignments after all, not pages out of her diary." _You might be wrong about that, Mr. Simmons, _she thought. _These could be how she expresses herself._

"Thank you, Mr. Simmons," she said, smiling. "I'll return them tomorrow morning." She turned to head out the door, then turned back. "Oh, I forgot about the whole reason I came! Would you talk to the kids about helping me?"

"I'll speak to them today and have an answer for you by lunchtime." He paused. "Helga, too?"

"Helga, too," she answered and thanked him again. She greeted the kids as she left and walked back to the library, papers in hand. She had wanted to get out of the classroom before Helga spotted her, and she had made it. Almost.

"What was SHE doing in there?" Helga asked herself. She had seen the librarian exit her classroom and walk down the hall, greeting kids as she went. Helga didn't like this. What was that redhead up to?

Helga was just about to run after her and demand some answers, when Phoebe walked past her and straight into the classroom. _Nevermind HER right now, _she told herself, _you've got other matters to deal with._

Helga held her head high and walked into the classroom, shoving some of her classmates out of the way. She had to talk to Phoebe, and nothing was going to stop her. She made it to her desk and flopped down in her seat. She wasn't sure how to start, so she thought the best course of action was to find out exactly how mad Phoebe was.

"Hey, Phoebs, what's up? I didn't see you on the bus this morning," she asked in the most casual way she could. Her heart was beating fast, and her palms were wet. What was she so worried about? This was PHOEBE, for crying out loud! Phoebe couldn't stay mad forever.

No answer from the small girl in front of her.

Could she?

"Phoebe?"

Silence.

Helga sat back in her chair. _She must be really ticked off. Maybe I should just leave her alone for a few days. Let her cool down. _ Just then the bell rang and another school day began.

During morning classes, things went pretty normally. Other than the fact that Phoebe wouldn't talk to or even LOOK at Helga, nothing really out of the ordinary happened. Then, about midmorning as the class worked on an assignment, Mr. Simmons called Arnold to his desk.

Helga looked up the second Arnold's name was uttered and watched as he and Mr. Simmons spoke quietly. Arnold nodded and returned to his seat. Then Mr. Simmons called Gerald up and the scene repeated itself. Then Phoebe was called.

_What's going on? _Helga wondered as Phoebe returned to her seat. Now Mr. Simmons was calling her name. Puzzled, she stood and walked to the desk.

"Yes, Mr. Simmons?"

"Helga, Miss Walker was in to see me this morning," he told her. She frowned.

"Oh, was she? Why?" As if she didn't know.

"She's having a bit of trouble getting the library back in working order, so she asked if I could send down a few students to help her."

Helga stared at him. This was not what she was expecting.

"She asked for you four by name."

"She did?"

"Yes, she did. I promised her an answer by lunchtime, so if you need some time to think about it, you have a few hours," he told her. Helga was already thinking about it.

_Why would she ask for me? Phoebe I could understand, even Arnold and Hair Boy. But me? It doesn't make sense. But it WILL give me a chance to talk to Phoebs. Why not?_

"That sounds okay. I'll do it," she told Mr. Simmons and was a little annoyed at the surprised look on his face.

"Really? That's wonderful, Helga! Thank you! I'll let Miss Walker know you've all agreed and find out when she needs you," he said, delighted.

"Sammy. She wants us to call her Sammy," she told him and walked back to her seat, without being aware she had spoken.

When the kids went to lunch, Mr. Simmons traveled to the library to inform Sam of their decision. She was glad they had agreed (especially Helga) and told him that she would need them after school to get started. He assured her that he would tell them, said his goodbyes, and went back to his classroom to have his lunch.

When he was gone, Sammy turned back to the stack of papers she had gotten from him that morning. She had been reading them while she ate the carrot sticks she had brought from home.

She was only a quarter of the way through, but she discovered that Mr. Simmons had been right. They WERE good. She was seeing a whole new side to the little girl with the blonde pigtails. A side she had only glimpsed the day before, when Helga had told her about Phoebe.

_You've got all this talent, Helga. Why do you act like such a bully? Why do you hide this wonderfully sensitive and caring side away from everyone? Why are you such a mystery? _she thought.

Again Sammy thought of the day before. The way Helga had stayed after everyone else had gone. The way she had helped her on the computer. The way she had broken down and confided in her. And then ran when it seemed they were getting too close to the answer.

_Of course, I love a good mystery. _She smiled. _I especially love SOLVING them._

Sammy packed the poems away into her bag and took the bag into her office. These papers were obviously very personal to Helga, and Sam didn't want anyone else to see them. Then she turned and worked on the computer for a while, still munching on her carrots. She had to get some things straightened out before the school day ended.

She did have some helpers coming this afternoon, after all. She wanted to be ready for them.

~End of Chapter 8~


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

**AFTERSCHOOL HELP**

Two minutes after the last bell rang, four students entered the library of PS 118. The young red haired librarian came around the counter and greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, 4th graders! I want to start out by thanking you all for agreeing to help me with the mess I've gotten myself into. I really appreciate the help. Next, I hope you're all as smart as I think you are, because the system I'm using is kind of complicated. I understand it perfectly, but then it IS my system, so maybe it really won't make any sense to anyone else."

The kids were all staring at her.

"I'm rambling again, aren't I? That's one of my bad habits, I'm afraid. If I do it again, just feel free to yell at me. Okay? Okay! We might as well get started. Uh, let me see. Okay, the first thing I want to do is go through the books and find the ones that could use replaced or repaired. Any books with broken spines, torn pages, worn out covers, anything like that. Bring those books over here and put them on this table," she instructed.

Since the books were already off the shelves and in various piles, she assigned each student a different pile to go through. With five people working, the task was accomplished rather quickly. The pile of damaged books wasn't nearly as high as Sammy thought it would be, and in the process, she had learned a little more about each of her helpers.

Except, of course, Helga. She had kept to herself again, and had only tried talking to Phoebe. Phoebe, on the other hand, made no attempt to talk back. Apparently, she was still angry from yesterday.

After about an hour, Sammy called her assistants together.

"Well, we got more done than I thought we would. You guys are really good! At this rate, we'll have this place back together in no time. Why don't you just keep coming after school until we're done?" The kids nodded. "Great. I guess that's about it for today. You guys can go ahead and take off. Phoebe, would you stick around for a while? I need some help on the computer."

"Sure, Sammy."

"Great. I'll see the rest of you tomorrow, same time, same place. Okay?" Sammy called as the boys walked out the door.

"Okay, Sam. See ya!" Arnold called. Gerald waved. Helga, however, had stayed behind and walked over to Phoebe.

"Do you want me to wait for you, Phoebs?" she asked.

"No Helga," Phoebe responded, not looking up. Helga looked at Phoebe a moment longer, then slowly turned and walked away.

"I'm sorry, Phoebs. Why won't you forgive me?" Sammy heard Helga mutter as she walked out the door.

_This fight was more serious than I thought. Phoebe must be highly ticked, and Helga can't figure out how to make it up to her. But Phoebe doesn't exactly look too thrilled to be fighting, either. Should I? _ Sammy wondered.

_I've already stuck my neck out this far. What's a couple of inches more?_

Sammy took a deep breath, held it, let it out. She walked over to Phoebe, who was standing in front of the counter.

"What sort of problems are you having with your computer, Sammy?" the small girl asked.

"Oh, the usual. It beeps, I yell, it beeps some more. I was really hoping you could help me sort out some of my files. I've got so many, it sometimes takes me forever just to find the one I need."

Sammy led the girl around the counter and started the computer. She showed Phoebe what the problems were and stared in amazement as Phoebe corrected them with just a few simple commands. Phoebe was almost done, so Sammy decided to get down to business.

"Jeez. First Helga has to help me on this thing, and now you. What ever happened to good old fashioned pencil and paper?" she commented, seeing if Phoebe would take the bait. She did. The girl had been typing furiously, but at the mention of Helga's name, her fingers stopped and hovered over the keys.

"Well, computers are a lot faster than paper. Besides, you can't get a paper cut from a keyboard." She paused. "Helga helped you?"

"Yeah, she's the one who actually got me into this thing in the first place. She did it yesterday after everyone else left."

"Oh." Phoebe started typing again. Sammy pulled a chair out of the office and sat beside her.

"You seemed pretty upset when you left yesterday," Sammy said quietly. "Are you feeling better?"

Phoebe stopped typing again and just sat there for a while. Sammy let her. Then Phoebe turned to her, and Sam saw tears in the girl's eyes.

"No. I'm not feeling better. I feel terrible, and I don't know what to do about it!" she cried. The tears were falling from her eyes, and some had smeared on her glasses.

_Way to go, Sam. You've been here two days and you've already reduced two girls to tears! _she thought.

"Do you want to tell me about it? You might feel better." Sammy thought for a minute and then added, "Helga did."

Phoebe turned sharply and looked at Sam. She had taken off her glasses to clean them, and without them she looked very vulnerable. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks.

"Helga?" she asked, unbelievingly. "She spoke to you? Why?"

"About you."

Phoebe stared at Sammy in shock.

"She felt really bad about what she had done to you. After she helped me on this," Sam said, pointing to the computer, "she eventually broke down and told me what happened."

"Helga broke down? You mean, she CRIED?" Sammy nodded.

"She was really upset. She told me everything about you. From the first day you met, to yesterday's fight. Everything she had ever done to you. And she was crying the whole time."

Phoebe couldn't believe what she was hearing. Could Helga care about her that much? Why didn't she ever say anything? She returned her glasses to her nose and looked at Sam.

"I don't think I've ever seen Helga cry," she said softly.

"She really cares about you, Phoebe. That fight yesterday must have opened her eyes to that fact."

"I didn't think Helga really cared about anything. She never shows any emotions like that."

"Phoebe, you seem to know a lot about Helga. Would you tell me about her? After what happened yesterday she's really peaked my interest." Sammy paused. "And I'd like to help her if I can."

Phoebe looked at Sam. She had stopped crying but the tears were still on her cheeks.

"I want to help her, too," she said quietly. Sammy smiled and gently hugged her.

"Tell me what you know and maybe we can both help her," she said as she wiped the tears from Phoebe's cheeks.

So Phoebe talked. She told Sammy everything she knew about Helga and some things she only suspected. She told about Helga's relationships with her parents and sister. About how she acts around the other kids. About her poetry (Sam acted surprised at this.) And about her feelings for Arnold.

When Phoebe finished, she sat much the same way Helga had after her story. Her head was lowered and she looked at her hands in her lap.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think our friend Helga is quite an interesting little girl. But a little girl with problems, nonetheless. If she continues like this, she'll push everyone away from her for the rest of her life."

Phoebe looked at Sam with worried eyes. Sam laid a hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry, Phoebs. Now she's got two friends to help her."

"How will we do that? You see how she is. She runs when people get too close."

"She can't run forever, Phoebe. We've gotta show her that we're not going anywhere and that we care about her. She wants to be loved, I can feel it. We've just got to get her to let us in," Sammy said, mostly to herself.

"Do you really think she will? She can be pretty tough sometimes."

"Let me put it this way, have you been happy since your fight?" Phoebe shook her head. "Helga's not doing so well, either. She was different today. She misses you."

"I miss her, too," Phoebe said quietly.

"Then go and talk to her. For some reason she insists she can't talk to you, don't ask me why. She'll listen if you go to her," Sammy told her gently.

Phoebe thought about this and nodded.

"Okay. I'll try to talk to her tonight. If she'll listen."

"She will. I'm sure of it," Sam said, smiling. She then looked at her watch. "Oh, jeez. You'd better get going. Your parents will think I kidnapped you! Do you want a ride?"

"No, that's okay. The walk will be good for me, and this way I can think about what I'll say to Helga. I'll stop at her house before heading home," she said and gathered her books.

"Are you sure? I could drop you off."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll see you tomorrow, Sammy. Bye!" Phoebe walked toward the door, then stopped and turned back.

"Sammy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," she said, smiling wide.

"No problem, Phoebs," Sammy answered, smiling back. The small girl waved and ran out the door.

After Phoebe left, Sammy thought about everything the girl had told her about Helga. No wonder she became nervous when people got too close. She's never had any close relationships with ANYONE. She doesn't know how to react when people show her affection.

_Well, that's all going to change soon,_ she thought._ Phoebe is going over there right now to talk to her, that should bring her out of the funk she's in, and then maybe I can get her to talk to me some more. _

Sammy straightened things up a bit, then grabbed her bag and headed home. On the way, she thought about Phoebe. No matter what Helga had done to her, Phoebe had always stood by her. The two girls had only been fighting for one day, but they were already falling apart without each other. They simply did not know what to do with themselves without their friend. Sammy wondered if they knew how special a relationship like that is. Or how rare.

Sam got home, changed clothes, and fed her cats. She fixed herself something to eat while she watched the news. Afterwards, she opened her bag and pulled out the stack of poems she had gotten from Mr. Simmons.

After all, she had promised to return them to him the next morning. And she still had quite a pile to go through. Not that she was complaining.

Sammy settled back and lost herself in the poems of Helga G. Pataki.

~End of Chapter 9~


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

**THE NEXT DAY**

Sammy walked into the 4th grade classroom the next morning with a new appreciation for Helga. She was a very sensitive and talented girl, the poems were proof of that. But there was also something else. Something just beneath the surface. A sort of loneliness the young librarian couldn't bear to see.

Mr. Simmons was at his desk, grading papers again. He looked up when Sammy approached.

"Ah, Miss Walker! Did you enjoy the poems?" he asked, cheerily. Sammy smiled.

"As a matter of fact, I did. They were very . . . informative. Thank you," she answered as she handed the papers over. "And please, call me Sammy."

"I'm glad you liked them." He took them and stowed them away in his desk. "Were the kids very helpful yesterday?"

"Yes, they were. We got a lot accomplished. If we can keep up the momentum, we could probably finish in a week!"

"That's great."

The kids were starting to file into the classroom now, and Sammy thought it would be a good time for her to beat feet. Unfortunately, she waited a few seconds too late. A group of kids had just walked through the door and as luck would have it, Eugene was behind them.

"Eugene, look out!" Sheena shouted, making everyone in the classroom turn toward the doorway.

"WHOA!" the small boy yelled as he tripped over the doorjamb and fell into Brainy. Who lost his balance and fell on Curly. Who shoved Sid. Who pushed Rhonda into Harold. Harold hit Stinky's back and shoved the tall boy into Sammy. Perfect domino effect.

"I'm okay," Eugene called shakily from the end of the line. The others looked at him, annoyed.

"EUGENE!" they all yelled in unison. The boy blushed and a crooked smile appeared on his face.

"Sorry, guys" he said quietly. Sheena was already there, helping him to his feet. Everyone else was starting to get up, and Stinky looked worriedly down at Sammy.

"Gawsh, Sammy, I'm sorry!" he said. "Did I hurt ya?"

"No, Stinky, I'm all right," she answered, trying her best to hold back laughter. The whole situation was just so darn funny!

"You trip over that doorjamb every morning, Eugene," Sid was saying as Stinky helped the librarian to her feet. "Maybe we should just put a ramp there so you won't have to worry about it."

Sammy slapped her hands over her mouth and started to giggle uncontrollably. The kids were starting to stare at her and she struggled to calm herself.

"I'm sorry," she managed. "It's just . . . this whole thing . . ." She went into another fit, took a deep breath, then let it out. Then she looked at the kids.

"I'm sorry, sometimes weird things strike me as funny. Are you okay, Eugene?" He nodded. "Good. And I'm glad to see that red mark on your neck is fading."

"Yeah, I'm a fast healer."

"With as many accidents as you have," Rhonda smirked, "you'd better be."

The other kids laughed, including Eugene. Sammy smiled. At least no one wanted to pound him, that was a relief. They must be used to this sort of thing happening.

During the confusion, Phoebe and Helga had walked in. They were sitting at their desks and talking spiritedly.

_Phoebe must have spoken to her last night, _Sam thought. _Looks like they cleared everything up. Good job, Phoebs._

Sammy once again assured Stinky that she was perfectly fine, and started toward the door. She had almost made it when Phoebe shouted.

"Hey, Sammy!" the small girl called and waved for her to come over. Sammy smiled and checked Helga's expression. The young blonde girl was nodding to her and . . . was that a smile on her face?

"Hey, Phoebe! Hi Helga," Sam said, as she casually walked over to them. "I see you two are on speaking terms again."

"Yes, we had a great talk last night," Phoebe said, smiling wide. Helga nodded and looked at Sammy.

"I guess Phoebs here just couldn't get along without me," she joked. "She came to me BEGGING for forgiveness. How could I say no?" Phoebe cocked an eyebrow and looked at Helga.

"Yeah, that's exactly how it happened," she said sarcastically. Sammy cocked her own eyebrow. Apparently their talk had been very helpful for the both of them. She smiled.

"Well, however it happened, I'm glad it did. I hate seeing best friends fight. I'm really glad you two worked things out," she told them.

The warning bell rang, and the last of the kids were just walking into the classroom. Sammy checked her watch, then looked back at the girls.

"Jeez! I better get back to my little hole! I'll talk to you girls later!" She turned and started walking towards the door. On her way, she ran into Arnold and Gerald. "Hey, guys. What's up? Oh, don't forget, I still need you all after school. Okay?" she asked, raising her voice a little at the end so the girls could hear. The girls nodded and she gave them the 'thumbs up' sign.

"Don't worry, Sam. We'll be there," Arnold assured her, and Gerald nodded in agreement. Sammy smiled.

"Excellent."

She gave the boys high five's and made her way out the door. She got about five feet when a voice called her.

"Sammy?"

"Yes, Helga?" she asked, turning. The halls were almost empty now, and the first official bell was about to ring. The blonde girl looked around, found no one watching them, and stepped forward. Sam was amused to see Helga fiddling with her fingers, distractedly.

"When Phoebe came to me last night, she told me she talked to you."

"She did. She was really upset about your fight."

"Yeah. She wasn't the only one," she said, quietly. "I just wanted to, you know, thank you for talking to her. It really helped."

"I didn't really do anything special, Helga. She needed someone to listen, and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time." She smiled. "I might have given her a little push in the right direction, but I think she would have eventually come to you. When she was ready."

"Well, thanks for pushing her. We had a great talk last night. It really cleared a lot of things up."

"Good."

The two stood and looked at each other for a moment. Then the bell rang, breaking them out of their respective thoughts.

"There's the bell, you better get back to class. I wouldn't want you to be late," Sammy told her. Helga nodded and turned for the door. After two steps, she turned back.

"Sammy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to be at the library all day?"

"Probably. Why?"

"I just . . ." Helga thought. "I still need to start on my animal report. I might stop by sometime today. For, you know, books and stuff."

"Well, I guess we could find you some books. It being a LIBRARY and all," Sammy joked. "I usually have the place to myself at lunch. Why don't you stop by then?"

"Okay."

"Okay. Get to class!" Helga saluted and hurried into her classroom.

Sammy walked back to the library, smiling and thinking of the students. All in all, PS 118 housed a pretty good collection of kids. The fourth grade class was exceptionally interesting. Quite an interesting group of individuals. One in particular.

At lunch that day, Helga stopped at the library to check out a book for her animal report and Sammy was not surprised to see a certain reptile was the chosen subject. She couldn't help smiling at Helga, and Helga couldn't help smiling back.

The rest of the week passed pretty much without incident. Helga and Phoebe were best friends again, but more than that, they discovered that they could talk to each other a little easier. They had become closer than ever. They were also becoming friends with Sam, and had gotten into the habit of stopping by at least once a day just to say 'hi'.

Sammy was becoming more accustomed with the school's routine, and by Thursday she had everything down pat; from Principal Wartz' daily (boring) morning announcements, to Eugene's daily mishaps.

The library was coming together nicely, as well. The kids worked hard after school, and by Friday, they were just finishing up.

"All right, gang!" Sammy called excitedly. "I think we're done! That didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. I was expecting a month, at least. You guys are good!"

The kids looked at each other, smiling widely. Helga stepped forward, the familiar scowl on her face.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can we go now, or what?" she asked. Same old Helga.

"Well, I guess you could go if you really wanted to, Helga," she said, knowing that the girl didn't really want to. She was just protecting her reputation. "But if you left now, you'd miss out on the surprise I have for you guys."

"What sort of surprise?" Phoebe asked, smiling.

"Well, a little while ago I ordered us some-"

"PIZZA!" the delivery guy called as he walked into the library. Just the smell of the pepperoni told the kids how hungry they really were.

"All right!" Gerald shouted.

"Boy, am I hungry!" Arnold announced.

The kids nearly mobbed the delivery guy, and snatched the pizza's and soda's from his hands. They took them to a nearby table and started in. Sammy had gone into the office for her purse, and came out just in time to see Arnold stick almost a whole slice into his mouth.

"HEY! Slow down, will ya? I really don't want anyone choking in here, I'd have to fill out an accident report. AND SAVE SOME FOR ME!" she called as she paid the guy. Then she made her way over to the feeding frenzy.

"Okay, okay. HEY!" she shouted. All the kids stopped and looked at her. The boys had sauce smeared all around their mouths, making them look like 5 year olds. Sammy rolled her eyes. No matter how old they got . . .

"We just spent a week getting this place cleaned up. Do you really want to mess it in 5 minutes?" The kids looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Sorry, Sammy," Arnold said through a mouthful of cheese.

"Yeah, sorry," Gerald agreed around his mouthful. They climbed off the table and sat down.

"Jeez, guys. It's not like you haven't eaten in YEARS! You had lunch a few hours ago!" she joked. "Everybody still have all their fingers? Nobody lost any during that, did they? Girls? Phoebe?" The small girl giggled and wriggled her fingers at Sam.

"Nope, all my fingers are still firmly attached," she joked, smiling. Sammy smiled back.

"Good. Now, let's attempt to eat like normal human beings shall we?" she asked, looking at the boys. They blushed (at least Sammy thought they did. With all that sauce, who could be sure?) and nodded shyly. "Good boys. I knew you had civilized manners in you somewhere," she joked, winking at them to let them know she was kidding. They smiled back.

She handed them napkins to wipe their faces and brought some cups from her office. Then she divided up the pizza's, and the five of them sat, ate, and talked.

"Holy cow, I better get going!" Arnold said after a while. He wiped his hands one last time and picked up his books. "Thanks for the pizza, Sammy! That ought to hold me all night."

"I hope I didn't ruin your dinner. I don't want you to get into trouble," she said, worriedly. Arnold shook his head.

"Nah, that's okay. You don't know my grandma's cooking."

"Yeah, you probably just saved his life!" Gerald laughed. Arnold gave him an annoyed look, and he quieted. "Sorry, man."

"That's okay, Gerald. You coming?"

"Yeah, hang on," Gerald picked up his own books, then turned to Sam. "Thanks, Sam, it was really great!"

"Hey, no problem. It was the least I could do for all the help you guys gave me all week! I really couldn't have done it without you. Thanks!"

"Forget about it!" Gerald told her on their way out the doors. "See you later!"

"Yeah, see you guys!" Arnold called, waving as they left. Sammy waved back, then turned to Phoebe and Helga.

"Well, looks like it's just us girls!" she said, gathering up the trash. "I can't believe we ate both large pizza's. Man, I am so full right now!" She stopped. "I'm not going to get you two in trouble, am I? For dinner?"

"Nah, I'll probably be hungry then too. I can pack it away with the best of them!" Helga laughed, rubbing her belly.

"And I only had two pieces, thereby assuring that I will be hungry when dinner is ready," Phoebe informed her.

"Good," she said, cleaning off the table. "Well, I guess you two can go ahead and take off, too. Thanks for all your help."

"Think nothing of it, Sammy," Phoebe said, gathering her books. "It was our pleasure to be of assistance. After all, you've helped us when we needed it."

"Yeah," Helga added quietly. Sammy shrugged.

"I was always a good listener. Sometimes, that's really all you need."

"Well, thank you again. Are you ready to go, Helga?" Phoebe asked. Helga shrugged and stood.

"Yeah, I guess I-"

"Oh, there you are baby sister! I've been looking everywhere for you!" a voice called from the doorway. Helga froze at the sound of it.

"No, it couldn't be," she whispered and slowly turned towards the owner of the voice. It could be, and it was.

~End of Chapter 10~


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

**COMMON GROUND**

Helga slowly turned toward the doorway. Her worst fear was coming true.

"Olga?" she asked through numb lips. Her sister smiled and ran forward.

"Of course it's me, Helga!" she squealed, hugging her little sister tightly. "Who else would I be?"

"What are you doing here?" Helga asked as Olga released her.

"This was final's week at college, and since I finished all of mine early, I decided to come home and try to bond with my little, baby sister!" Olga squeaked, and pulled Helga to her once again. Helga looked like a cornered rabbit.

Phoebe had moved over by Sammy and now the two of them were watching the sisters closely. Sammy leaned over to talk to her small friend.

"I assume that's Helga's sister," Phoebe nodded.

"Yes, that's her older sister, Olga," she whispered. "They don't really get along."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me the other day. She's the perfect child, isn't she? The one Helga's parents are always comparing her to?" Phoebe nodded again. "Poor kid."

Olga was still hugging her sister tightly, and Helga was about to pass out from lack of oxygen to the brain. Then the elder Pataki released and grabbed Helga's hands.

"Oh, Helga, we're going to have such fun!" she exclaimed. "I got us tickets to the ballet, and that musical you like, what was the name of it? 'Rats'? Oh, baby sister, we're going to be closer than ever by the time I leave!"

"Great," Helga moaned, looking incredibly unhappy. Olga either didn't notice, or pretended not to.

"Well come on, Helga! Gather up your things and we'll get started right now!" she said, excitedly.

"But, Olga . . ." Helga started. Her older sister put a finger to her lips and stopped her before she could continue.

"But nothing, Helga. We hardly ever see each other as it is, and this time I don't want to waste one minute arguing," she said, sounding very determined. Helga sighed and turned to collect her things.

Meanwhile, Sammy was arguing with herself. Again. Should she get in the middle? This was between sisters and Sam hated getting into family arguments. But Helga didn't look too happy to see her sister. She especially didn't seem very thrilled at the idea of spending time with her.

But, on the other hand, Olga seemed very excited at the thought of bonding with Helga. She even got tickets to a musical Helga liked (although why ANYONE would like that stupid show, 'Rats', was totally beyond Sammy's understanding.) Maybe Helga just needed a little time alone with Olga. Maybe this would bring them closer together.

The young blonde collected her belongings and turned around to face her sister once more. One look at Helga's face decided things for Sam. The girl was wearing an expression of pure dread. She REALLY didn't want to go, and with that attitude, no one would have a good time. It might even push these two further apart. Sammy stepped forward.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" she exclaimed, slapping her forehead with the heel of her hand. "I can't believe I almost forgot!"

Both Pataki girls looked at the librarian with identical expressions of confusion.

"I'm so sorry, uh, Olga was it?" Olga nodded. "But I just remembered. Sometimes I can be so forgetful, it's a wonder I make it home every night!"

"Remembered what?" Olga asked, still looking a bit confused. Sammy's mind whirled. _Yeah, remembered what smart girl? Think fast._ Suddenly an idea flashed.

"I asked Helga to stay after school and help me check in a new order of books. I usually do it myself, but we got a big one in today." _Not bad, Red._

"Well, can't she help you?" Olga asked, pointing to Phoebe. Sammy's eyes widened. She hadn't thought about that.

"Oh, well, uh . . ." she stammered, glancing at the small girl. To her surprise, Phoebe stepped forward and pulled her butt from the fire.

"Yes, well, I am," the small girl said, confidently. "But it was a very large order, and Helga and I are the only other people who know Sammy's system." She looked at Sammy, who was staring at the girl in shock. "Right, Sammy?"

"Right, Phoebs," Sammy answered, regaining her senses. "Anyway, I'm really sorry to pull Helga away from what sounds like a very fun evening, but she DID promise to help me." She turned to Helga and shot her a look she hoped the girl would understand. "Remember, Helga?"

For a few seconds Helga still looked confused. Then understanding spread across her face, and she smiled.

"Oh, that's right! I DID promise, didn't I?" she said, sounding very convincing. She turned to her sister and produced a very effective expression of disappointment. "I'm sorry, Olga. But a promise is a promise. Maybe some other time?" Olga looked from one girl to the other, then turned to Sam.

"Well, maybe I could help too," she suggested. "With four of us working, we'll finish faster, and Helga and I can still make it to a later showing of the musical." Helga and Phoebe exchanged a terrified glance, but Sammy merely shook her head.

"I'm afraid that would just slow us down, Olga," she told her. "You see, my system is a bit complicated. The only way the girls know it is because they helped me put in into effect. It would take us a while just to explain it to you."

"Oh," Olga said, sounding very disappointed. Sammy was beginning to have second thoughts about tricking her like this. But it was too late, now.

"Don't worry, Olga," Helga was saying. "We'll spend some time together later." _Much later, _she thought. _Like when I'm in my 30's._

"Well, okay Helga. I guess I'll see you when you get home." Olga hugged her sister once again, then turned and left.

As soon as Olga was gone, Helga cheered.

"YESSS! I can't believe it! Saved from the jaws of death at the last second!" she rejoiced. "Oh, wow! How can I ever thank you guys?"

"You can start by getting your little butt into that office, and helping with today's order," Sammy said, feeling a little disgusted with herself. Poor Olga.

"You really want me to help with the order?" Helga asked, surprised.

"You bet I do! I feel terrible lying to your sister like that. We did get an order in today, it wasn't as large as I told her, but I could use your help checking it in," Sammy said sternly, then turned to Phoebe. "Phoebs, thanks for covering for me back there, you're pretty quick. Anyway, you can go if you want."

"Are you sure, Sammy?" The librarian nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Helga will be here for a while yet." Sammy glanced at Helga and found the usual scowl had returned.

"Okay, Sammy. I'll talk to you later, Helga," Phoebe said. Helga turned her back on both girls, stomped into the office, and slammed the door, making the office's picture window shiver in its frame. Sam rolled her eyes.

"Cripes, what a kid," she muttered to herself. Phoebe was looking worried, but Sam waved a hand at her and started walking her toward the door. "Nevermind her, Phoebs. You go on home. I'll take care of things."

"Okay, Sam. See you later."

"See ya, Phoebe. Oh, and don't let Olga see you leave. Take the side exit, just in case."

Phoebe nodded and waved as she left. Sammy waved back, then turned back and looked into her office. Helga was inside, sitting in Sam's desk chair with her arms crossed. The scowl never left her face.

_Jeez, it's two steps forward, three steps back with this kid!_ she thought. _Just when I think I'm getting closer to her, BAM! She draws back even more. This is getting frustrating._

Sammy sighed and went to the office. Out of the frying pan . . .

Helga was glaring at her when she walked in. Sammy calmly looked back. She picked up the book order and carried it to the door.

"I think it'll be a little easier if we just worked them from out here," she said as she walked out and dropped the books on the counter. She turned and saw Helga still sitting in her chair, glaring.

"Are you coming or do I have to carry you out too?"

Helga let out an annoyed sigh, and left the office the same way she entered it; stomping. She was also muttering angrily.

"I can't believe I have to do this, just because you feel bad about lying to OLGA!"

"Your sister just wanted to spend some time with you, Helga. That doesn't make her evil." Helga looked at Sammy with disbelief.

"Are you kidding? Olga is selfish, overbearing and completely self absorbed!"

"Oh, yeah and you're NOTHING like THAT!" Sammy said sarcastically. Helga shot the librarian an annoyed look.

"What would you know about this anyway?" she scoffed. "You don't know anything about me." Sammy uttered a sharp laugh.

"Do you actually think YOU are the only person in the world who has to deal with annoying siblings?" she asked. "For crying out loud, Helga! EVERYONE can't stand their brothers or sisters at one time or another! Gerald has to deal with an older brother trying his new wrestling moves on him, AND a younger sister who seems determined to destroy all of his stuff!"

"That's different!" Helga cried. "At least their parents treat them all the same! No one knows what it's like to be compared to your 'perfect sister'! My parents pay more attention to her than they EVER did me!"

"You think you're the first person to be stuck in a sibling's shadow?" Sammy laughed. "Please! Let me tell you a little bit about MY family. I have two older brothers, and a younger brother and sister. I'm the classic middle child. Overlooked, underappreciated, and completely misunderstood." Helga shook her head.

"That's not the same," she said quietly.

"Oh, no?" Sammy asked, eyebrows raised. "Well, let's see. You have Olga; she's smart, pretty, popular, and all in all a candidate for the most perfect human being on the face of the earth, right?" Helga rolled her eyes and nodded. "Okay, let's see what I got. Hmm, let me think. Oh yeah, that's right. I've got Steven AND Ally. Steven was classified a genius at age four, so they skipped him ahead a few grades and, wouldn't you know it, he graduated from high school the same year I did. Now given the fact that Steven is four years YOUNGER than me, you can imagine how that made me feel."

"Yikes."

"Exactly. He was class president, voted most popular guy, most likely to succeed, and the valedictorian at graduation. He won all these scholarships and colleges were practically throwing themselves at his feet. I, on the other hand, was known as 'Steven's sister' throughout my entire high school experience. No matter what I did, I was never 'Samantha'. And if I did poorly on a test, what did I hear?"

"Why can't you be more like your brother?" they answered together, although Helga said 'sister'. Sammy smiled.

"You got it. And if Steven weren't bad enough, Mom turns around and has another kid. My sister, Allegra."

"Is she a genius, too?" Helga asked. Sammy shook her head.

"No. She's the daughter my mother always wanted." Helga looked confused.

"What?"

"I grew up in a pretty rural area. Our nearest neighbor was two miles away, so the only playmates I had were my two older brothers. We were inseparable. During the summer, we would be up and out of the house practically at sunrise. I was such a tomboy. We would climb trees, build forts, play football and baseball (granted, with only three of us, the games were slightly modified), and splash around in a dirty little stream near our house. We would come home for lunch completely filthy. I was never interested in 'girly stuff' because I spent all my time with the boys. I think Mom was kind of disappointed."

"Not everyone is cut out to be 'Little Miss Sunshine'. I'm not," Helga said. Sammy smiled.

"Believe it or not, Helga, but you're more ladylike than I ever was. The first time I ever wore a dress was for my high school graduation. In fact, I think that's the ONLY time I ever wore a dress." Sammy thought, then shook her head. "Anyway, when Ally came along, Mom finally got the daughter she could dress up in little outfits, take shopping with her, and just plain talk to."

"She couldn't do those things with you?"

"I was never interested in those things. I told you, I was a complete tomboy. I hated anything that made me different from my brothers, so I never did anything 'girly'. My hair was longer then, so I just tied it back into one long ponytail. I never wore anything pretty or fashionable, mostly just hand-me-downs. I never got interested in dolls, or playing dress-up, or wearing make-up for that matter. Just think of the exact opposite of me, and you'll have my sister Ally. Young, pretty, blonde, and a total lady." Sammy thought. "She's also got the boys falling all over themselves just to stand next to her, whereas I never had a date that didn't end with, 'You're a nice girl, but I just don't like you like that. Let's just be friends.' Of course, that's another story entirely, so let's not get into that."

"Criminey. And I thought I had it bad with just ONE perfect person to compete with," Helga said quietly. "How did you stand it?"

"It was easy as long as I had my older brothers, Brian and Mike. They would always play with me, and listen to me, and talk to me when I needed a friend. But when they started going to school, they didn't have the time for me like they did before. They made friends their own age, and pretty soon I barely saw them. It hit me pretty hard. Suddenly I had no one to talk to, and I sort of withdrew from everyone."

As she spoke, Sammy started walking around, putting the new books away. Helga followed her, carrying the books and handing them to her. Soon they finished, and returned to the counter to sit.

"When I started school, I still wore my brother's hand-me-downs. The other kids thought that was simply hilarious, and teased me to no end. I tried to ignore them, but after a while I couldn't take it anymore. I started fighting with them, and soon no one would even talk to me because I had built up a reputation of being tough."

"Kind of like me, huh?" Helga asked, softly.

"Yup. Kind of like you. I was so lonely I couldn't stand it. I stopped being a bully to everyone, but by that time it was too late. My stupid reputation was too well known, and no matter what I did, no one would give me a chance. I spent a lot of years hating myself for acting like that. Then, when I was about 13, I just quit."

"Quit what?"

"I quit caring what everyone thought about me. I did things that made ME happy. I tried a lot of different things; painting, knitting, wood working (that only succeeded in convincing me that I was not meant to work with power tools.) Finally, I started writing."

"Poetry?" Helga asked shyly. Sammy smiled and shook her head.

"Good lord, no. I couldn't write a decent poem if my life depended on it! I stuck mostly with short stories. Of course, I always made myself the main character, who had lots and lots of great friends, and was an only child," she said with an evil grin. Then she shook her head and turned back to Helga. "Anyway, when I was writing, I was happy. With every story I finished, I developed more self confidence. I was sure of who I was, and basically a much happier person. The kids at school were noticing the change too, and by the time I was in 9th grade, I had some pretty good friends."

"What about your brothers and sister? Do you still fight with them?"

"Sometimes, but it's not like it was. It took us years to get past all of the jealousy we felt toward each other. Apparently, Steven was jealous of ME because I never had to perform for everyone like he did. He said I was lucky that I could be my own person, and not the person everyone else expected me to be."

Helga was stunned. Hadn't Olga said something like that to her once? Maybe being the best isn't all it's cracked up to be.

"Wow, I can't believe I told you all that. I've never told that to ANYONE before. Huh." She paused. "I guess the point I'm trying to make is this; don't be so quick to think that just because Olga is considered the favorite, that means that you are any less special. And don't count Olga out of your life so early. She only wants to get to know you, so give her a little bit of a break. If she wants to take you somewhere, talk to her and let her know where."

"But she's just so stinking annoying!" Helga protested. "I don't have anything to talk to her about."

"It won't always be like that. There's just a lot of years between you two, and you really don't have anything in common right now. I'm about 9 years older than Ally, and we didn't really start talking until a few years ago."

Helga thought about this and sighed deeply.

"I guess I could TRY to spend some time with her. Maybe I could get her to go to a movie." She grinned. "At least that would cut down on the amount of talking we would have to do." Sammy laughed.

"You're such a snot. But I'm glad you're going to try." Sammy thought for a second, then grabbed a piece of scratch paper and started writing. "I'll tell you what, you try to deal with her for as long as you can, but if she really starts to get on your nerves, tell her you have to come over and help me with something." She handed the paper to Helga. Written on it in Sammy's left-handed scrawl, was her address and phone number.

"Why are you doing this?" Helga asked quietly. Sammy shrugged.

"We overlooked, underappreciated and completely misunderstood daughters have to stick together, don't we?" she asked with a smile. "Besides, I like ya. You remind me of myself."

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Helga joked.

"Ha, ha. You're a laugh riot, you know that?"

"I know." Helga checked her watch. "Uh, oh. It's getting kinda late. Can I go now?"

"Yeah, get outta here." Helga started toward the door when Sammy called her. "Don't forget what I told you, Helga. Try to get along with Olga, then come over. At least give it a shot, okay?"

"Okay. See ya!" Helga waved and was gone.

Sammy watched her go, then sat back, crossed her arms and thought about what had just happened.

_I can't believe I told her all that. SHE was the one who was supposed to open up, not me! _She ran her fingers through her short red hair and sighed. _Oh well. Maybe this will make her a little more comfortable around me now._

Sam straightened things up, grabbed her bag, and headed for home. Maybe Chinese would be good for supper tonight.

_**-X-X-X-**_

Helga knocked on Olga's door that night, an hour before bedtime.

"Olga?" she asked, sticking her head in. Her sister was sitting on her bed, reading.

"Oh, Helga," Olga said as she closed her book, using an index card to save her place. "I didn't expect to see you tonight. Did you get the order checked in?"

"Oh, yeah. It was a cinch," she answered as she stepped into the room. "Uh, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, baby sister. What about?" Helga thought about how to continue.

"Do you still want to do something this weekend?" she asked, finally. Olga looked at her, eyebrows raised.

"That's why I came home, Helga," she answered quietly. "To spend time with you. We missed 'Rats', but I still have the ballet tickets-"

"I would really rather just skip that, too," Helga interrupted. "I'm not really into ballet. How about a movie instead?"

"Well, I don't know, Helga. I really wanted us to talk a little . . . "

"How much talking do you think we would have done at a musical, or a ballet recital?" Helga asked, laughing. "We could always stop and get something to eat afterwards. What do you think?"

Olga was quiet for a few minutes. She sat with her head lowered, thinking. Finally she raised her head and looked at her little sister.

"Okay, Helga," she said, smiling. "If you want to go to a movie, then we'll go to a movie. We'll make a day of it, what do you say?"

It was Helga's turn to think. A whole DAY with OLGA? Could she last that long with her sister? She looked up and saw hope on Olga's face. Why not?

"Okay, that might be nice." Olga smiled wider.

"Oh, baby sister!" she squealed, running up and hugging her sister. "Tomorrow will be the best day! We'll talk and have so much fun!" Helga was starting to regret suggesting it already.

"Yeah, okay Olga," she coughed. "Uh, I'm starting to black out!" Olga immediately released her sister and stood back.

"Sorry, sometimes I get a little excited," she whispered, blushing as Helga got her breath back.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll see you in the morning." Helga turned and walked back to her room without another look back.

_What have I done? _she thought. _I talked to my sister. I suggested doing something together tomorrow. Now I'm going to spend the day with her. WILLINGLY. I must be slipping._

Helga went about her nightly routine thinking about this coming weekend. She turned out the light and thought about her sister as she crawled under her covers.

_She sure seemed happy when I left. Maybe she really does want to get to know me. Maybe I've been too hard on her all these years. _

Maybe.

As Helga drifted into the abyss of contented slumber, she was certain of one thing.

This weekend was definitely NOT going to be boring.

~End of Chapter 11~ 


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

**FINALLY FRIENDS**

Saturday dawned bright and sunny. Helga awoke to find herself actually looking forward to her time with Olga today. She dressed, went downstairs and ate her breakfast while watching tv. (It was the only time she could get near it. Bob was still sleeping upstairs, she could hear his snores clearly.)

As Helga finished her second bowl of 'Sugar Frosted Sugar Lumps', Olga came down, still yawning.

"Good morning, Helga!" she called as she went into the kitchen to make some coffee. Helga grunted her greeting and returned to her show.

Later, when Helga was rinsing out her cereal bowl, Olga called her over to the table. She had the newspaper open, and was looking at the movie listings.

"What shall we see today, Helga? That new romance picture opened yesterday, how about that?" she asked. Helga wrinkled her nose.

"Romance? Please!" she said sarcastically. "All that kissy-kissy, 'I love you more than life itself', 'boy gets girl' stuff makes me want to gag!" She leaned forward and scanned the paper. She spotted an ad, and planted her finger on it. "There you go. That one looks much better!" Olga looked and wrinkled her own nose.

"'Flaming Death Squad From Saturn, Part 3'? Helga, you can't be serious."

"Why not?" Helga asked. "I saw the first two, and they were great! This one is supposed to be even better, with more fight scenes, more gore, and more explosions. It's a perfect Saturday flick!" Olga looked at her sister doubtfully.

"I don't know, Helga. I don't really like films like that."

"Oh, come on, Olga! You gotta open yourself up to new experiences! Try something new once in a while!" Helga told her. Olga thought.

"Okay, Helga, I'll make you a deal. We'll go see this 'Flaming Death Squad' thing if you agree to go and see that new romantic movie with me." Now it was Helga's turn to look doubtful.

"Well . . . "

"Come on, Helga. You gotta open yourself up to new experiences. Try something new once in a while," Olga said smiling. Helga couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh, all right." she agreed. "How bad could it be?"

They were about to find out.

Helga's movie had early showings so the sisters decided to see it first. Helga loved it, and was planning on seeing it again. Olga looked like she was about to throw up, especially after seeing Saturn's Emperor's head explode. As they left the theatre, Olga's face was practically green.

"Boy that was great!" Helga exclaimed. "I love the way they showed his brains and everything hit the wall! SPLAT!" Helga laughed, then noticed how her sister looked. "You okay?"

Olga nodded weakly, then slapped a hand over her mouth and ran for the restrooms.

"Criminey. She can dissect a cow's brain in school, but she can't take a little thing like an exploding alien head. Brother," Helga commented, rolling her eyes and going in after her sister.

After Olga was 'sick', she felt better. She cleaned herself up just in time for her movie. Predictably, she loved it, Helga hated it. Olga went through two packets of tissues, while Helga tried to see how many Milk Duds she could flick into the balcony before someone told her to stop.

Afterwards, Olga drove them to a diner for a late lunch. She was still sniffling from the movie.

"Oh, Helga," she said, dabbing her eyes with a napkin, "wasn't that movie just beautiful?" Helga rolled her eyes and uttered a short laugh.

"Yeah, a beautiful piece of crap."

"But, Helga, it was so touching," Olga was saying. "The story, the music, the casting, everything was just perfect!"

"Oh, please, Olga!" Helga laughed. "That guy had absolutely NO interest in her! How could she keep after him like that knowing he didn't like her the way she liked him? It was pathetic!"

"Oh, and I suppose your choice was so much better?" Olga asked angrily. "'Killer Death Squad From Venus' or whatever? You're going to turn your mind to mush with garbage like that!" Helga was starting to get angry.

"Oh is that right?" she said, getting up. "Is that what you think?"

"Yeah, that's what I think!" Olga yelled back. "Maybe if you didn't watch things like that you'd have a better attitude, and more friends!"

"What does my attitude have to do with any of this? And I have some perfectly good friends right now, thank you very much!"

The sisters were starting to get rather loud, and people were starting to stare at them. Olga noticed this and tried to calm her sister.

"All right, calm down," she said soothingly. "Let's not fight about silly things, baby sist-"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Helga screamed. "I'm NOT your BABY SISTER anymore! I like my attitude, I like my friends, and I like different movies than you! Now if you don't mind, I'll take my mushy brain and leave you alone with your perfect opinions!"

Before Olga could even think of anything to say, Helga turned around and ran out.

Meanwhile, Sammy had decided that this lovely Saturday was perfect house cleaning weather. She had only moved in about two weeks ago, so she was basically just cleaning before she completely unpacked. All the windows were open, and the radio was on. She sang along as she went from room to room, dusting the cobwebs from the corners.

"Yuck." She wiped an extremely large web from the corner of the extra bedroom. "Why can't you stinkin' spiders move to Guam or something? Just stay out of my house!" At that moment, a large black spider crawled through the opening at the top of the door. "EEEEEEWWWWWWW!"

At the sound of their mistress' voice, Bug and Weed (Sammy's two cats) padded into the room. They looked at her with their big green eyes.

"What?" she asked them. "I didn't call you." She looked up and tried to keep track of her uninvited houseguest. "Too bad you two are so short," she told her cats as she rolled up a nearby newspaper. "Otherwise I'd have you guys kill this thing."

Her pets watched as she slowly moved toward the arachnid. When she was as close as she was willing to get to it, she swung the paper as hard as she could. There was a satisfying 'WHAP' as the invader went to spider heaven. Sam smiled. She hated spiders.

"Ha! You stupid, icky little thing!" she sneered at the carcass on the paper. "That'll teach you to invade my house! I oughtta smear your pathetic little body on the door as a warning to all the other spider's out there. But then that would mean I'd have to look at you every day. Bleh." She tossed the paper into a nearby trash bag and resumed her cleaning.

Helga stood on the sidewalk outside trying to decide whether or not to venture forward and knock on the door. This was the address Sammy had given her, and the librarian's deep purple Escort was parked in the driveway. The windows were all wide open and music drifted through them as the breeze played with the curtains. Obviously SOMEONE was home.

Helga drew a deep breath, held it, released it. She had come here directly after leaving Olga, and if she came this far, she might as well go the rest of the way. She walked up the front steps and prepared to knock.

"BUG! You little brat!" Sam hollered from inside. Helga's hand stopped in mid air. "Get away from those curtains! NOW!"

A cat meowed loudly, hissed and appeared at the window to Helga's left. It looked at her for a second, then looked back inside.

"Don't you dare!" Sammy shouted, now sounding closer. "You get your furry little fanny back in here!"

The little black and white cat, Bug, looked inside for a few seconds longer, then turned and leapt nimbly off the sill. It landed perfectly and ran into a nearby alley. Sammy reached the window just in time to see her pet scamper off.

"You can run and you can hide, but you have to come home sometime!" she yelled after it. A window opened in the building across the street and a burly man leaned out.

"HEY! SHADDAP!" he screamed.

"Mind your own business! I'm talking to my cat!" she screamed right back. The guy glared at her for a second, and she glared back. Finally, he shook his head, pulled himself back inside and slammed the window closed.

"Jerk," she muttered and was about to pull herself back inside when she noticed her visitor. "Helga? What's shaking, kiddo? Don't stand out there all day, come on in," she said, pulling herself in.

Helga opened the door and stepped inside. There were boxes stacked in the corners, and newspaper all over the place. Sammy turned the radio off, and stepped through the archway that gave entrance to the still empty dining room to meet her guest in the hallway.

"Don't mind the mess. It's just like with the library. I start out all gung ho, then I start getting sidetracked by every little thing. At this rate, I might be totally unpacked by Christmas," she joked. "So, what brings you by?"

"What about your cat?" Helga asked, pointing outside. Sammy waved a hand.

"Oh, nevermind Bug. He'll come home when he gets hungry. He just knows I'm mad at him for scratching at my curtains." She looked at the girl with narrowed eyes. "You didn't answer my question."

"You said I could come by if Olga was driving me nuts. She was so here I am."

"You DID spend some time with her, didn't you?"

"Yeah, that's why she was driving me nuts," Helga muttered. Sammy sighed.

"Okay, smells like a story," she said, pushing Helga into the living room. She brushed some papers off the couch and sat the girl down. "Fill me in."

Helga started by telling of her visit to Olga the night before, and finished with the argument in the diner. Just thinking about it made her mad all over again. As the girl talked, Weed, a little silver tom, climbed into Sam's lap and the librarian stroked his fur absently.

"It sounds like you were just as excited about going as she was," Sam said when Helga had finished.

"Yeah, I guess I was," the girl agreed reluctantly. "I thought we'd finally have something to talk about. I thought she would finally see me as a person, and not just as her 'baby sister'."

"Helga, no matter how old you get, you're always going to be her little sister. And she probably doesn't see you very often, does she?" Helga shook her head. "That's the problem. She still sees you as the little girl you were when she first left for college. When she comes home, you two don't spend a lot of time together, therefore she can't see how much you've changed."

"I spent half the day with her, and she still doesn't see who I am! She still thinks I'm 4 or 5 years old!"

"Did you act like a 4 or 5 year old? From what you told me, you seem to regress whenever you're around her." Helga was staring at Sam in shock.

"Are you saying I'm acting like a baby?" she asked, trying to keep her temper.

"Hey, if the small knitted booty fits . . . "

"I don't believe this! After what you told me yesterday, I thought you of all people would understand!" Helga shouted, standing up. "I guess I was wrong!" She stormed past Sam and headed for the door. Sammy didn't move.

"If you go out that door now," she said without turning or raising her voice, "you'll never stop running." Helga stopped cold.

"What would you know about it?" she asked quietly. Sammy turned to her.

"A lot more than you think. I was you, remember? I was the little girl nobody liked, I was the withdrawn child whose family didn't understand her, I would run whenever anyone tried to get close. And I wrote to express myself. I didn't write poetry like you, but I wrote just the same." Helga turned suddenly.

"How did you know I wrote poetry?" she asked, sounding scared. Sammy grimaced inwardly. Open mouth, insert both feet.

"Mr. Simmons showed me the poems you turned in for your creative writing assignments. You're very talented." Helga started trembling.

"He showed you . . . "

"I was just trying to learn more about you, that's all. Besides, when Phoebe and I had that talk, she told me everything she knew about you." She paused. Should she? Why not?

"How long have you liked Arnold?" she asked quietly. Helga looked like she had just been slapped.

"How did you know about THAT?" she whispered. She was shaking harder now, and Sammy was starting to get a little worried. Could a nine year old have a nervous breakdown?

"Phoebe told me her suspicions. And in your poetry, there are references to a 'football headed Prometheus' and 'the boy with the cornflower hair' with 'green eyes that I want to bathe in'. Now, the only boy I know with a football shaped head, blonde hair, and green eyes is Arnold."

Helga was staring at her, face full of fear. Sammy smiled kindly.

"I don't blame you, he's a pretty cute kid." This seemed to relax Helga and she smiled back. "There, you see? I'm not going to judge you, or yell at you or anything like that. I just want you to come to me when you need to talk to someone. I've been where you are now, and I can help you through it."

"Why?" Helga asked as she sat back down. "Why do you even care?"

"Because it took me years to get through all the crap that was holding me back. The whole reason it took me so long, was because I didn't have anyone to talk to. I was alone. I look at you, and I see me. I don't want you to have to deal with all this by yourself."

Sam dropped Weed from her lap, leaned forward and placed a hand on Helga's shoulder. She looked the young girl in the eyes.

"Let me help you, Helga. Please. It's no fun going through this alone, trust me."

Helga's lip quivered, and her blue eyes filled with tears. She leaned forward and hugged Sammy tightly, much like she had done on the very first day she met the librarian. The redhead hugged her back, tears coming to her own eyes.

"Is this a yes?" she joked. The girl nodded against her chest, crying harder.

After a few minutes, Bug returned home and walked into the living room. He sat and watched the two girls for a moment, then meowed, drawing Sam's attention.

"Well, look who's back!" she said, tapping Helga on the back. The new friends pulled apart slightly and looked at the animal. "What's the matter, Bug? You hungry already?"

The cat meowed again, looking from one girl to the other. He then stood up, and without hesitation, jumped into Helga's lap. He stretched, yawned and promptly fell asleep, purring all the while.

"Holy crow," Sammy said, completely stunned. "He never did THAT before. Not even with ME. He must like you."

"Yeah, I guess so," Helga answered, petting the animal's fur. Weed, not wanting to feel left out, jumped back into Sam's lap and rubbed against her.

"Yes, Weed, I know," she murmured, scratching behind the cat's ears. "I love you, too."

They sat quietly for a while, each petting the feline in their laps. Helga had stopped crying and was starting to feel better.

"So, where do we go from here?" she asked quietly.

"Well, you still haven't told me how long you've liked Arnold," Sam answered, an eyebrow raised. "Why don't we start from there?"

"I don't like Arnold."

"You don't?"

"No. I LOVE him. I am utterly, hopelessly, totally, completely, one hundred percent, lock, stock and barrel in love with the boy. He's my first thought when I wake up, and my last thought before I fall asleep."

"Wow. Have you ever talked to Phoebe about him?"

"Nah. Phoebe wouldn't understand."

"Why are you so quick to think no one will understand anything about you?" Sam asked. "She already thinks you like him, why don't you just tell her you do, and talk to her about it? Don't you trust her?"

"It's not that, it's just that . . . I don't know. I've kept this secret for so long . . . "

"How long? How long have you been in love with him?"

"Since we were three." Sam looked at her with wide eyes.

"You've loved Arnold since you were three years old?" Helga nodded. "Wow! Jeez, Helga! I mean . . . wow!"

"I don't think I'll ever have the courage to tell him. Why would he want me?" Sam looked at her sharply.

"That's enough. Don't talk like that. Just because you haven't told him yet, that doesn't mean you never will. You probably never thought you could talk to anyone like you talk to me, right?" Helga shook her head. "And as far as that 'why would he want me?' garbage goes, he doesn't really know you yet. All he knows about Helga G. Pataki is she's a pushy, aggressive, loud bully. No offense."

"None taken."

"Okay. Once you start feeling a little more comfortable with yourself, you'll feel more comfortable around other people. You can start letting your guard down, and then people will see the real Helga. The one I see right now."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Sam said confidently. "He'll see what a great person you are, fall madly in love with you, and BEG you to go out with him. You'll eventually marry, and of course you'll invite me to your wedding. WON'T YOU?" Helga laughed.

"Of course!" she managed. Her laughter had startled Bug awake and he looked at her, annoyed. Then he rolled over and let her scratch his tummy.

The two friends talked for hours. Helga told Sammy everything she could think of, and Sam told Helga more about herself. They discovered they had more in common than they originally thought. Time passed and soon the light was draining from the day. Helga stood and stretched.

"Well, I guess I should be getting home." Sammy started getting up, then sat back down quickly.

"Oooooh!" she cried, rubbing her foot. "Pins and needles plunging themselves deeply into my foot! Ouch! Boy, I must be getting old." She looked up at Helga. "Once my foot wakes up, I'll drive you home."

"That's okay. I can make it."

"Helga, it's getting dark out. I don't want you out on the streets with who knows what kind of loonies. I'm taking you home."

"Okay." It felt nice to have someone worry about her.

Sam's foot soon came back to life and she drove her young friend home. They said their goodbyes, and Helga went in expecting the worst, but instead found the house empty. There was a note on the hallway table.

Helga,

Gone with Olga to the ballet. Be home around 8 or 9:00.

Will bring home supper. Your father is at the store, some

sort of beeper emergency. Your friend Phoebe called today,

would like you to call her back. Be good!

Love you,

MOM

Helga dialed Phoebe's number and listened as the phone rang once, twice, three times. As it started on number four, she was getting ready to hang up. Suddenly there was a click and Phoebe's timid voice was in Helga's ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Phoebs."

"Helga!" Phoebe sounded positively delighted her friend had called her back. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. What's up?"

"I was just calling to make sure you were all right. After yesterday. You know, with Sam."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah I'm okay." Helga paused. "In fact, I had a nice talk with her today."

"You did?" Phoebe sounded as surprised HEARING this as Helga was TELLING it.

"Yeah, I did. Hey, Phoebs?"

"Yes, Helga?"

"You got some time? I've got some things I want to talk to you about."

"Sure, Helga. I've got plenty of time," Phoebe said gently.

"That's good. Because this is going to take a while." Helga summoned up all of her courage, and started telling Phoebe everything she had told Sammy.

She was right, it DID take a while. Miriam and Olga returned home with some pizza, and Helga ate as she talked to Phoebe. As she spoke, she felt a weight being lifted off of her shoulders.

When she finished, she sat silent for a few minutes. She waited nervously for Phoebe's reaction.

"Wow."

Helga kept quiet.

"You told Sammy all this, too?"

"Yeah."

It was Phoebe's turn to be silent.

"Well, what do you think?" Helga asked, nervously.

"I think we are going to have a lot to talk about in school on Monday," Phoebe answered. Helga smiled.

"Thanks, Phoebe," she said quietly. "Listen, it's getting a little late. Why don't we pick this up later? I'm not sure what I'm doing tomorrow, once I find out I'll give you a call. Okay?" Phoebe agreed. The friends said their goodbyes and hung up.

Helga stood up and stretched. She had been sitting on the floor the whole time, and her butt was pretty sore. She walked into the kitchen, where Miriam and Olga were sitting at the table, sipping coffee and chatting.

"Well, look who's off the phone finally!" Miriam joked as her younger daughter walked in. "Was that your friend Phoebe?" Helga nodded. "What did you two talk about all that time?"

"Just a bunch of stuff. How was the ballet?"

"Oh, it was absolutely beautiful!" her mother gushed. Olga, however, sat quietly, looking into her coffee mug.

"That's good." Helga was feeling a little ashamed of the way she had acted today with her sister. "Olga? I have a report to write that's due on Monday, and I haven't even started it. Do you think you could give me a little help tomorrow?" she asked quietly. Olga was staring at her sister in utter amazement.

"You want me to HELP you?" she asked. "Really?" Helga nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I don't even know where to begin. I thought you could give me a few pointers."

"Okay, baby sist-I mean Helga." Olga smiled. Helga smiled back, and Miriam was smiling at both her children. They were finally starting to get along.

On Sunday, Olga helped Helga write her report, and saw her little sister as a real person for the first time. This wasn't the little 4 or 5 year old Olga had seen when she left for college. This was an intelligent, articulate, very sharp little girl of 9. The sisters spent the whole day together without even realizing it. Helga was there when Olga left to return to school, and she surprised everyone, including herself, by giving her big sister a hug.

The dawning of the new week also signified the dawning of a new time in Helga's life. She had opened herself up to someone, and had found a true kindred spirit. Sammy understood her, because she had lived through practically the same thing. And she would help Helga through it, no doubt about it.

Monday morning found Helga and Phoebe sitting at their desks, deep in conversation. Phoebe confessed to Helga everything she had always wanted to tell her, and Helga listened intently. They told each other secrets they never thought they would tell ANYONE, and helped each other with their problems. Helga calmed down some, and Phoebe wasn't as shy and timid as before. They had found a true bond to their friendship, and discovered it had always been there. They just needed to get past their fear, and confess themselves to each other.

Sammy became friends with almost everyone in the school, but was especially fond of the 4th grade class. Phoebe and Helga developed a close relationship with the librarian, and visited her as often as possible. She was their friend, their advice giver, their referee in times of arguments, and their big sister.

Sammy treated all the kids in class not just as children, but as equals. She never spoke down to them, or lost patience with them, or complained when they came to her with their problems. She cared about every kid, and didn't choose one over another, (although she WAS somewhat partial to Helga and Phoebe.) Within a matter of weeks, Sammy had become the unofficial 'den mother' of Mr. Simmons' entire 4th grade class. And things were never the same afterwards.

Incidentally, Helga got an 'A' on her animal report.

~fini


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